The puzzle king : $b Amusing arithmetic, book-keeping blunders, commercial comicalities, curious "catches", peculiar problems, perplexing paradoxes, quaint questions, queer quibbles, school stories, interesting items, tricks with figures, cards, draughts, dice, dominoes, etc., etc., etc.Scott, John
Science
The puzzle king : $b Amusing arithmetic, book-keeping blunders, commercial comicalities, curious "catches", peculiar problems, perplexing paradoxes, quaint questions, queer quibbles, school stories, interesting items, tricks with figures, cards, draughts, dice, dominoes, etc., etc., etc.
Scott, John
Amusements; Mathematical recreations; Puzzles
WANTED Canvasser, energetic; only “live”
men need apply. Smart & Co.
A determined-looking young man rushed into Mr. Sharp’s office
the other day, and, addressing him, said abruptly, “See you’re
advertising for a canvasser, sir; I’ve come to fill the place.”
“Gently, young man!--gently! How do you know that you’ll suit?” asked
Mr. Sharp, somewhat nettled at the young man’s off-hand manner.
“Certain of it. Best man you could have--energetic, punctual, honest,
sober, A1 references, and----”
“Wait a minute, I tell you!” shouted Mr. Sharp. “I don’t think you’d
suit me at all.”
“Oh, yes, I shall,” said the young man, seating himself. “And I don’t
go out of this office till you engage me.”
“You won’t?” yelled Mr. S.
“Certainly not,” said the young man, calmly.
“Why, you impudent young scoundrel! I’ll--I’ll kick you out!”
“No, you wont. You may kick me, but you won’t kick me _out_.”
“If you don’t go, I’ll call a policeman,” declared Mr. S., purple
with rage.
“Will you?”
The young man rushed to the door, locked it, and put the key in his
pocket.
Mr. S. gasped and glared, and then roared:--
“I tell you I won’t have you! Get out of my office. Will you take
‘no’ for an answer?”
“No, I won’t take ‘no’ for an answer. Never did in my life, and don’t
intend starting now,” said the young man, very determinedly.
Mr. Sharp hesitated, then rose to his feet, with admiration beaming
from his eyes.
“Young man,” he said, “I’ve been looking for an agent like you for
twenty years. At first I thought you were only a bumptious fool;
but now I see you’re literally bursting with business. If any man
can sell my patent vermin-trap (warranted to catch anything from a
flea to a tiger) you’re that man. A hundred a year and 15 per cent.
commission. Is it a bargain?”
“It is,” said the young man, trying the trap, and smiling approvingly
when it nipped a piece of flesh clean out of his finger.
WHY IS IT?
Take a long narrow strip of paper, and draw a line with pen or pencil
along the whole length of its centre. Turn one of the ends round so
as to give it a twist, and then gum the ends together. Now take a
pair of scissors and cut the circle of paper round along the line,
and you will have two circles. This is a puzzle within a puzzle,
and has never been satisfactorily explained either by scientist or
mathematician.
How to Read a Person’s Character.
Tell a friend to put down in figures the year in which he was born;
to this add 4, then his age at last birthday provided it has not come
in the present year (if it has, then his age last year); multiply
this sum by 1000, and subtract 687,423. (This number is for 1899;
it increases 1000 for each succeeding year.) To the remainder place
corresponding letters of the alphabet. The result will be the popular
name by which your friend is known.
Example: A person was born in 1860, and is now 38 years of age.
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