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St. Nicholas Magazine for Boys and Girls, Vol. 5, No. 08, June 1878

THE RIDDLE-BOX.

Reading edition

EASY BEHEADINGS.

The whole, most animals possess; behead it, and transpose, and there will appear an emblem of grief; behead again, and see what all men have; behead and curtail, and find an article. J.F.S.

ACCIDENTAL HIDINGS.

Find concealed in the following quotations three names for

METRICAL COMPOSITIONS.

"As hope and fear alternate chase Our course through life's uncertain race."—Scott.

"Trained to the chase, his eagle eye The ptarmigan in snow could spy."—Scott.

"Well-dressed, well-bred, Well-equipaged, is ticket good enough."—Cowper.

Find concealed in the following quotations three names for

PORTIONS OF TIME.

"From better habitations spurned, Reluctant dost thou rove."—Goldsmith.

"As ever ye heard the greenwood dell On morn of June one warbled swell."—Queen's Wake.

"Each spire, each tower and cliff sublime, Was hooded in the wreathy rime."—Hogg.

MELANGE.

1. Behead a plant, and leave a friend. 2. Curtail the plant, and give a pungent spice. 3. Syncopate the plant, and find an envelope. 4. Behead the spice, and leave affection. 5. Syncopate and transpose the friend, and find learning. 6. Behead the envelope, and leave above. 7. Syncopate and transpose the envelope, and give the inner part. 8. Transpose above, and find to ramble. 9. Syncopate to ramble, and leave a wild animal. ISOLA.

EASY CLASSICAL ACROSTIC.

My first is in deaf, but not in hear; My second in doe, and also in deer; My third is in May, but not in June; My fourth is in song, but not in tune; My fifth is in house, and also in shed; My sixth is in cot, but not in bed; My seventh is in chair, but not in stool; My eighth is in lake, but not in pool; My ninth is in pencil, and also in ink; My tenth is in blue, but not in pink; My eleventh is in dish, but not in pan; My whole was a Greek and a well-spoken man. ANNAN.

ENIGMA.

I am a common adage frequently used by good housewives, and am composed of twenty-two letters.

My 9 15 3 8 16 22 is pertaining to the place of birth. My 10 20 19 14 are things used to cook with. My 6 1 5 is a domestic animal. My 11 21 is a preposition. My 18 17 13 12 is to appear. My 7 4 2 is a pronoun. BESSIE.

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ANAGRAMS.

Each anagram is formed from a single word, and a clue to the meaning of that word is given after its anagram.

1. A dry shop; rambling composition. 2. I clean rum; belonging to number. 3. Poet in dread; the act of making inroads. 4. Oxen are set; clears from blame. 5. Gin danger; displacing. CYRIL DEANE.

PICTORIAL PUZZLE What animal, besides the dog and the cat, is to be found in the above picture?

Pictorial Puzzle
Pictorial Puzzle

EASY DIAMOND PUZZLE.

1. A vowel. 2. A fairy. 3. Change. 4. Not many. 5. A consonant. WILLIE F.

CHARADE.

I.

My first, a god once worshiped, now fills a lowly place, Though sometimes raised to favor by the wayward human race.

II.

My second, a bold captain, leads a goodly company, Whose numbers march in columns, like knights of chivalry. They serve us at our bidding, yet we are in their power, And the weapons that they carry may wound us in an hour. It grandly leads the ages, as their cycles onward roll, But stoops to lend its presence to my shadowy, fearful whole. It lives in ancient romance, it floats upon the air, And flower-deck'd May without it would not be half so fair.

III.

My third holds humble office, a servant at your will, But an instrument of torture if 'tis not used with skill. Beauty before her mirror studies its use with care, And deigns, perchance, to choose it an ornament to wear.

IV.

Consider, all ye people, what my strange whole may be; 'Tis gloomy, dark and awful, and full of mystery. Ponder the tales of ages, of human sin and woe, Turn to historic pages, if you its name would know. E'en kings their heads have rested, a-weary of the crown, Upon its curious couches, though not of silk or down. The stately seven-hilled city may boast her ancient birth, But this was old and hoary ere she had place on earth. Some tremble when they see it; some its secrets would explore, And, peering through its shadows, they seek its mystic lore. A.M.W.

NUMERICAL PUZZLE.

A boy named 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 thought it singular he should become such a monster as a 1 2 3 4 6 7 8 9 10 by dropping the first letter of his surname. C.D.

FOUR-LETTER SQUARE-WORD.

The base is a title. Fill the blanks in the following sentence with words which can be arranged in order, as they come, to form a word-square:

The (1)—— made an (2)—— of his minstrel, and yet he himself could not tell one (3)—— from another, or distinguish a dirge from a (4)——. B.

EASY CROSS-WORD ENIGMA.

1. In road, but not in street; 2. In hunger, not in eat; 3. In inn, but not in tavern; 4. In grot, but not in cavern.

The whole is the name of one of the United States. R.L. M'D.

METAGRAM.

Whole, (1) I am to beat; change my head, and I become, in succession, (2) stouter, (3) final, (4) substance, (5) to sprinkle, (6) to rend, and (7) a terrier of a much prized kind. A.C. CRETT.

EASY ACROSTIC.

My first is in can, but not in may; My second in opera, not in play; My third is in shine, but not in bright; My fourth is in string, but not in kite; My fifth is in tea, but not in coffee; My sixth in candy, also in taffy; My seventh is in rain, but not in hail; My eighth is in bucket, but not in pail; My ninth is in ice, but not in snow; My tenth is in run, but not in go; My eleventh is in hop, but not in run; My twelfth in powder, but not in gun; My thirteenth is in bell, but not in ring; My fourteenth is in scream, but not in sing. My whole is a noted city of Europe. GOLD ELSIE.

BLANK WORD-SYNCOPATIONS.

Fill the first blank, in each sentence, with a certain word; the second, with a word taken out of the word chosen for the first blank; and the third with the letters of that word which remain after filling the second blank.

1. On the —— we first played ——, and then we all began to ——. 2. While —— on the wharf, we saw a vessel come into ——, which made us —— again. 3. The game of —— I will —— you play, if you will show me the —— to the fair. CYRIL DEANE.

CHARADE.

My first embodies all despair; My second fain my first would flee, Yet, flying to my whole, full oft Flies but to life-long misery. Still Holy Writ doth plainly show; My whole, though causing, cureth woe. M. O'B.D.

TRANSPOSITIONS OF PROPER NAMES.

1. At ——, Fla., may be obtained —— —— for washing purposes. 2. Are not the public —— small in the State of ——? 3. In —— you may not see —— —— ——, though you certainly will see many in Pennsylvania. 4. Amid the mountains of —— there is doubtless many a —— ——. 5. Having occasion to visit the city of ——, to my surprise I —— —— except a few worn-out —— ——. 6. If you wish to find or to —— —— -trees, you need not go to——. 7. When in —— City I saw an old —— ——, which was quite a relic. 8. In the city of —— the cooks surely know how to —— ——. 9. ——, my brother, —— the falsehood by giving it a flat ——. 10. My aunt —— planted a rose-bush —— —— —— allotted to fruit trees. W.

SQUARE-WORD.

1. Sour fruit. 2. Imaginary. 3. To immerse. 4. A large bird. 5. Unconscious rest. B.

ADDITIONS.

1. Add some liquor to a spirit, and make to fix on a stake. 2. Add something belonging to animals to the animals themselves, and make a lantern. 3. Add sharp to a girl's name, and make a kind of cloth. 4. Add an era to a vegetable, and make a boy-servant. 5. Add a boy's name to a cave, and make a foreign country. 6. Add anger to a serpent, and make to long after. CYRIL DEANE.

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LABYRINTH.

"Trace a way to the center of this labyrinth without crossing a line."

Labyrinth
Labyrinth

ANSWERS TO PUZZLES IN MAY NUMBER.

HOUR-GLASS PUZZLE.—Centrals: Greyhound. Across: Alligator. 2. Adoring. 3. Enemy. 4. Dye. 5. H. 6. Pop. 7. Elude. 8. Evangel. 9. Amendable.

BLANK APOCOPES.—1. Rafters, raft. 2. Rushlight, rush. 3. Larder, lard. 4. Scarlet, scar.

FRAME PUZZLE.—

Wordsquare
Wordsquare

EASY BEHEADINGS.—1. Beat, eat. 2. Candy, Andy. 3. She, he; your, our. 4. Table, able. 5. Pink, ink. 6. Scent, cent. 7. Brain, rain. 8. Orange, range. 9. Skate, Kate. 10. Helm, elm. 11. Crow, row. 12. Hash, ash. 13. Bowl, owl. 14. Scare, care. 15. Brush, rush.

EASY TRIPLE ACROSTIC.—Primals, Crow; centrals, Bear; finals, Gnat, 1. ComBinG. 2. ReverbEratioN. 3. OmAhA. 4. WoRsT.

HIDDEN FRENCH SENTENCE.—Ma ville de pierre,—"My city of stone," or "My city of Peter;" i.e.. St. "Peter's-burg." ["Pierre" means "Peter" as well as "stone."]

PICTORIAL ANAGRAM PROVERB PUZZLE.—"It is good to be merry and wise."

THREE EASY SQUARE-WORDS.—

1— P O E 2— F I R 3— L A W

O R E I R E A G E

E E L R E D W E D

EASY ENIGMA.—Diamond.

REVERSIBLE DOUBLE DIAMOND AND CONCEALED WORD-SQUARE. Perpendiculars, Revel; horizontals, Lever. Word-square: 1. Ten. 2. Eve. 3. Net.

EASY SYNCOPATIONS.—1. Brass, bass. 2. Bread, bead. 3. Chart, cart. 4. Clove, cove. 5. Crane, cane. 6. Farce, face. 7. Heart, hart. 8. Horse, hose. 9. Mouse, muse. 10. Peony, pony.

PICTORIAL TRANSPOSTION PUZZLES.—1. Entitles (ten tiles). Raja (ajar). 3. Palm (lamp). 4. Satyr (trays). 5. Causer (saucer).

EASY SQUARE-WORD.—1. Balm. 2. Aloe. 3. Lore. 4. Meek.

EASY DIAMOND.—1. W. 2. Nag. 3. Water. 4. Gem. 5. R.

[For the names of those who sent answers to puzzles in the April number, see the "Letter-Box," page 574.]

Explore with AITake your curiosity a little further.

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