FEBRUARY 1, 2001

A BEARTOWN MYSTERY

Recently a Beartown farmer died leaving a wife and three sons. His will said that the eldest son was to receive one-half of what he owned, the middle son was to receive one-third, and the youngest son was to receive one-ninth. All the farmer owned, however was seventeen horses. And try as they might, the mother and three sons could not figure out any way to divide the seventeen horses by the father's wishes.
So the Beartown Constable was called on for assistance. He went to a neighboring farm and borrowed a horse. Then with a total of eighteen horses, he gave the eldest son one-half, or 9 horses. Then he gave the middle son one-third, or six of the horses. And he gave the youngest son one-ninth, or two of the horses.
"There," said the Constable. "Nine plus six plus two makes the seventeen horses your father left you." And he returned the eighteenth horse to the neighbor.

How did the Constable do this? Check the next issue of Beartown News for the answer.

LAST ISSUE'S SOLUTION: In the Artic Circle at Christmas time a fire could not have been started by using the sun's rays. The sun disappears in the far north from October to about March. In the summer the opposite occurs and this region is known as The Land of the Midnight Sun.

HOME

NEWS

HUMOR

BOOKS

COUNTRY CORNER

LETTERS

ARCHIVES