PART III. (continued 2)
Reading edition
SOLUTIONS
No. III.—A BOOK AND ITS AUTHOR
The well-known book and its author which are represented by
are “Innocents Abroad,” by Mark Twain. (In no sense A broad, by mark twain.)
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No. IV.—ON THE SHUTTERS
No. John Mar in atten from 8 a.m. Barber Hair C The bald cry a for hi as displayed which make hair g Closes
I shall dance daily and utter loud s creams in this window listen after 8 p.m.
The shutter on the left blew open, leaving the other to tell its strange tale.
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No. VI.—SOLVITUR AMBULANDO
A man, tracing step by step the various readings of ROTATOR on this chequered floor, can exhaust all of them, according to the arrangement on our diagram, in 21,648 steps, spelling out the word as he goes in the many directions 3608 separate times!
R O T A T O R O T A T O R
O R O T A T O T A T O R O
T O R O T A T A T O R O T
A T O R O T A T O R O T A
T A T O R O T O R O T A T
O T A T O R O R O T A T O
R O T A T O R O T A T O R
O T A T O R O R O T A T O
T A T O R O T O R O T A T
A T O R O T A T O R O T A
T O R O T A T A T O R O T
O R O T A T O T A T O R O
R O T A T O R O T A T O R
This large total is due mainly to the fact that ROTATOR is a palindrome, and lends itself to both backward and forward reading. The man, a veritable rotator, will thus have walked more than four miles within a compass of one hundred and forty-four square feet.
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No. VIII.—AN OLD SAMPLER
AL. IT.
T.L EW. O. MA!
N.T. Ho! UGH. AVE. Ryli.
T.T. Let. Hi! N.G.I.
S.S. We. Et. Erf. Art. Ha!
N.S. Ug. Ara. N.D.F. Lo!
W.E. R.S.T. Ha! TB.
L.O. O! Mins. Pri.
N. G.
The cross-stitch legend on the old sampler, if its letters are read in regular sequence, runs thus:—
A little woman, though a very little thing, Is sweeter far than sugar, and flowers that bloom in spring.
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No. XII.—STRIKE A BALANCE
This diagram shows how, while the odd and even numbers of the nine digits add up to 25 and 20 respectively, they can be arranged in two groups so that the odd and the even add up to exactly the same sum.
1 2
3
5 4 79
7 6 84 2⁄6
9 8 5 1⁄3
25 20 84 1⁄3 84 1⁄3
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No. XIII.—PUZZLE LINES
The puzzle lines—
HKISTA! MRS LR’S SR MR LR KRS. “BLR MR LR!” MRS LR HRS—
when read according to the usual pronunciation of Mr and Mrs, and taking the title from the Greek, become, by affinity of sound—
He kissed her! Mrs Lister’s sister Mr Lister kisses. “Blister Mr Lister!” Mrs Lister hisses.
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No. XIV.—IN MEMORIAM
The puzzle epitaph—
WEON . CEW . ERET . WO
WET . WOM . ADEO . NE
NON . EFIN . DUST . WO
NO . WLI . F EB .EGO . NE
WILLIAM and MARGARET TAYLOR
Anno Domini 1665.
reads thus—
We once were two, We two made one. None find us two Now life be gone.
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No. XVI.—A QUAINT EPITAPH
IT - OBIT - MORTI - MERA PUBLI - CANO - FACTO - NAM AT - RES - T - M - ANNO - XXX ALETHA - TE - VERITAS TE - DE - QUA - LV - VASTO MI - NE - A - JOVI - ALTO PERAGO - O - DO - NE - AT STO - UT - IN - A - POTOR - AC AN - IV - VAS - NE - VER - A
R - I - P
reads into English thus:—
“I Tobit Mortimer, a publican of Acton, am at rest. Man, no treble X ale that ever I tasted equal was to mine. A jovial toper, a good one at stout in a pot or a can, I was never a rip!”
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No. XIX.—SHAKESPEARE RECAST
If you start with the first T in this combination, and then take every third letter—
HOUSE.CANOE.AFTER. HOUR.PRINT.CAVE.CHILD SASH.SLEVE.ACORN. AMPLE.SAD.TATTA.HENA MAT.ACHE.CAKE.TACHES. HELIAC.SACQUE.USUAL. ARBOR.SEE.MULCH.JACUR. USE.STOP.
you will form the popular quotation, “Thrice is he armed that hath his quarrel just.”
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No. XX.—A DOUBLE ACROSTIC
The excellent double Acrostic—
An old Italian bird we know Whose heart was ever touched by snow.
1. None can press me without pain, Pressure is against the grain. 2. I am a king without my head. 3. Here is another king instead.
is solved thus:—
CORNIX
1. C or N
2. (R) O — I
3. R e X
We may tell those of our readers who have not studied the dead languages that cornix is the Latin for a crow, and that the word can be broken up into cor, heart, and nix, snow, while rex is, of course, a king in Latin, as roi is in French. The double meaning of corn is brought out by “against the grain.”
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No. XXI.—HIDDEN PROVERBS
The five hidden proverbs are:—
“A rolling stone gathers no moss.”
“Too many cooks spoil the broth.”
“A live dog is more to be feared than a dead lion.”
“You cannot eat your cake and have it.”
“Peace hath her victories no less renowned than war.”
Start from the central A, and work round and round.
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No. XXVII.—WAS IT VOLAPÜK?
Read backwards it becomes “Old birds are not caught with chaff.”
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No. XXVIII.—ANOTHER EPITAPH
(On an Old Pie Woman)
BENE AT hint HEDU S.T.T.H. emo Uldy O L.D.C. RUSTO F.N.E. L.L.B. AC. hel orl AT Ely W ASS hove N.W. how ASS Kill’d Int heart SOF pi escu Star D. sand Tart Sand K N ewe, Ver yus E oft he ove N.W. Hens he ’Dliv’ Dlon geno UG H.S. hem Ade he R la STP uffap UF FBY HE RHU S. B an D. M. Uchp R.A. is ’D no Wheres He dot H L. i.e. TOM a Kead I.R.T.P. Iein hop est Hat he R.C. Rust W I L.L.B. ERA IS ’D——!
This puzzle epitaph, written aright, runs thus:—
Beneath in the dust the mouldy old crust Of Nell Bachelor lately was shoven, Who was skilled in the arts of pies, custards, and tarts, And knew every use of the oven. When she’d liv’d long enough she made her last puff, A puff by her husband much prais’d; Now here she doth lie to make a dirt pie, In hopes that her crust may be rais’d.
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No. XXXI.—BY LEAPS AND BOUNDS
tle to a cat- life and live In
By tle ow- bro wse of non tle fall
ter tur- gain like land one’s quiet And
of ar m Bet- me ad- and Than a- bat-
bask Be t- lau- or tle ness done wan-
rel let Than die With der of smo ke
ter in brain myr- on and har- un-
Ch ap- or to sun with work In heat
The “Knight’s Tour” verses run as follows:—
Better to die with harness on In smoke and heat of battle, Than wander and browse, and fall anon In quiet of meadow-land cattle. Better to gain, by arm or brain, Chaplet of laurel or myrtle, Than bask in sun, with work undone, And live one’s life like a turtle,
beginning with “Bet,” and ending in the top left-hand corner.
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No. XXXII.—A BROKEN SQUARE
The Broken Word Square is made perfect thus—
S O B E R
O L I V E
B I S O N
E V O K E
R E N E W
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No. XXXIII.—A KNIGHT’S TOUR PROVERB
E
E T
L H
E R S
E A S
D E O S
S P M
To solve the “Knight’s Tour” proverb start with M, and by a succession of moves, as of a knight on the chess-board, you can spell out the proverb “More haste less speed.”
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No. XXXIV.—GUARINI’S PROBLEM
The solution of Guarini’s Problem, to transpose the positions of the white and black knights on the subjoined diagram on which they appear, is made clear by following the moves on the lettered diagram:—
First move the pieces from a to A, from b to B, from c to C, and from d to D. Then move them from A to d, from B to a, from C to b, and from D to c. The effect so far is as if the original square had been rotated through one right angle. Repeat the same sequence of moves, and the required change of positions is completed.
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No. XXXV.—AN ANAGRAM SQUARE
This is the solution of the Word Square.
A M E N D S
M I N I O N
E N A B L E
N I B B L E
D O L L A R
S N E E R S
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No. XXXVII.—A KNIGHT’S TOUR
The letters on the board below, read aright in the order of a Knight’s moves at chess, starting from the most central E form the following popular proverb:—
R L T E Y L R O
Y H L T O B T A
T A A A H T I
E L E I N E O
D H W Y E S Y
R T E S D B W
Y N E S N D A E
H A A A W I D E
“Early to bed, and early to rise, Is the way to be healthy, and wealthy, and wise.”
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No. XXXVIII.—A WORD SQUARE
Dr Puzzlewitz completed his Word Square thus:—
E R A S E
R A V E N
A V E R T
S E R V E
E N T E R
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No. XXXIX.—THE SQUAREST WORD
This is completed thus:—
D E L F
E V I L
L I V E
F L E D
It will be seen that there are four distinct readings of each word.
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No. XL.—A PUZZLE DIAMOND
The Diamond is completed thus:—
D
T I P
T I A R A
D I A M O N D
P R O U D
A N D
D
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No. XLI.—A DEFECTIVE DIAMOND
The Defective Diamond is completed thus:—
S
G E M
P E R I L
G E N E R A L
S E R E N A D E R
M I R A C L E
L A D L E
L E E
R
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No. XLIII.—LETTER PUZZLE
The word is Level, filled in thus:—
L E V E L
E E E E
V V V
E E E E
L E V E L
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No. XLVII.—THE CIRCLE SQUARED
The Circle can be squared thus:—
C I R C L E
I N U R E S
R U L E S T
C R E A S E
L E S S E E
E S T E E M
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No. XLVIII.—A BROKEN SQUARE
This is the completed Square:—
B O A S T E R
O B S C E N E
A S S E R T S
S C E P T R E
T E R T I A N
E N T R A N T
R E S E N T S
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No. XLIX.—A CARD PROBLEM
Here is the arrangement of the aces, kings, queens, and knaves of a pack of cards in a kind of Magic Square:—
CLUBS ACE SPADES KING HEARTS QUEEN DIAMONDS KNAVE
HEARTS KNAVE DIAMONDS QUEEN CLUBS KING SPADES ACE
DIAMONDS KING HEARTS ACE SPADES KNAVE CLUBS QUEEN
SPADES QUEEN CLUBS KNAVE DIAMONDS ACE HEARTS KING
In each row, column, and diagonal, one, and one only, of the four suits and of the four denominations is represented.
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No. L.—TURF-CUTTING
The eight thin strips of turf, cut from my lawn to form the four sides of two square rose-borders, can be placed on a level surface of soil thus without being broken or bent:—
This forms a framework for the three flower-beds of similar shape and size.
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No. LI.—A READY RECKONER
The gardener decided that the water-butt was more than half-full thus:—
He tilted it steadily, and some of the water ran over its edge before the bottom corner A came into sight; but as soon as the water level stood at A B the cask was exactly half full.
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No. LII.—A TRANSFORMATION
The flat-headed 3 can be turned into a 5 by one continuous line, without scratching out any portion of the 3, by treating the flat top of the 3 as part of a square drawn round the 5, thus:—
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No. LIII.—A CLEAR COURSE
Here is a list of ninety-two positions, in which eight pieces can be placed upon the chess or draughtboard so that each has a clear course in every direction.
1 1586 3724 24 3681 5724 47 5146 8273 70 6318 5247
2 1683 7425 25 3682 4175 48 5184 2736 71 6357 1428
3 1746 8253 26 3728 5146 49 5186 3724 72 6358 1427
4 1758 2463 27 3728 6415 50 5246 8317 73 6372 4815
5 2468 3175 28 3847 1625 51 5247 3861 74 6372 8514
6 2571 3864 29 4158 2736 52 5261 7483 75 6374 1825
7 2574 1863 30 4158 6372 53 5281 4736 76 6415 8273
8 2617 4835 31 4258 6137 54 5316 8247 77 6428 5713
9 2683 1475 32 4273 6815 55 5317 2864 78 6471 3528
10 2736 8514 33 4273 6851 56 5384 7162 79 6471 8253
11 2758 1463 34 4275 1863 57 5713 8642 80 6824 1753
12 2861 3574 35 4285 7136 58 5714 2863 81 7138 6425
13 3175 8246 36 4286 1357 59 5724 8136 82 7241 8536
14 3528 1746 37 4615 2837 60 5726 3148 83 7263 1485
15 3528 6471 38 4682 7135 61 5726 3184 84 7316 8524
16 3571 4286 39 4683 1752 62 5741 3862 85 7382 5164
17 3584 1726 40 4718 5263 63 5841 3627 86 7425 8136
18 3625 8174 41 4738 2516 64 5841 7263 87 7428 6135
19 3627 1485 42 4752 6138 65 6152 8374 88 7531 6824
20 3627 5184 43 4753 1682 66 6271 3584 89 8241 7536
21 3641 8572 44 4813 6275 67 6271 4853 90 8253 1746
22 3642 8571 45 4815 7263 68 6317 5824 91 8316 2574
23 3681 4752 46 4853 1726 69 6318 4275 92 8413 6275
The numbers indicate the position on the eight successive columns of the cells on which the men are to be placed. Of course, many similar arrangements arise from merely turning the board.
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No. LIV.—QUARRELSOME NEIGHBOURS
This diagram shows, by the dotted lines, how the three unfriendly neighbours made the covered pathways to their gates, so that they might never meet or cross each other’s paths.
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No. LVI.—THE CROSS KEYS
The Cross Keys puzzle when put together takes the form shown below.
The method is as follows:—Hold a upright between forefinger and thumb of left hand. With the right hand push b through the slot until the further edge of the middle slot is nearly even with the outer edge of a. Then lower c, held with the short arm of the cross nearest to you, over the top of a, so that the central portion passes through the cross cut in b. Finally push b towards the centre, until the transverse cut is hidden, and the puzzle is completed.
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No. LVII.—THE NABOB’S DIAMONDS
When the children of the Indian Nabob divided his diamonds, the first taking one stone and a seventh of the remainder, the second two stones and a seventh of what was left, the third three under similar conditions, and so on till all were taken, there were 36 diamonds and 6 children.
The division is prettily illustrated thus:—
This shows how the first three took their shares, indicated by black dots, the remainder being carried down each time, and by similar process three more claimants would exhaust all the diamonds.
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No. LVIII.—A CARD CHAIN
To solve the Card Chain puzzle take a card about 5 in. by 3 in., as shown below, draw a light pencil line from A to B and from C to D, lay the card in water till you can split its edges down to the pencil lines, and put it aside to dry.
With a sharp knife cut quite through the straight lines, but only half through the dotted lines on the split edges. The corresponding figures show the bar of each link, marking its two parts, which are connected by the upper and under halves of the split portion. A little patient ingenuity will now release link after link, and thus complete the chain.
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No. LIX.—STRAY DOTS
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No. LX.—THE OPEN DOOR
The prisoner who is placed in the cell marked A, and is promised his liberty if he can reach the door at X by passing through all the cells, entering each once only, gains his freedom by passing from A to the cell below, and thence returning to A, and leaving it again by the other door; his further course then is quite simple.
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No. LXII.—LEAP FROG
Move 9 to 13, 3 to 9, 7 to 3, 22 to 7, 18 to 22, 24 to 18, 9 to 24, 13 to 9, 7 to 13, 3 to 7, 18 to 3, 22 to 18.
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No. LXIII.—MUSIC HATH CHARMS
is explained by the couplet—
“From Handel I learn As my handle I turn.”
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No. LXVII.—A SWARM OF WORDS
This is the key
M
A
M A D A M
A
M
If these letters form each of the five crosses the conditions are all fulfilled.
In each cross the words Madam, Adam, Ada can be traced in sixteen different directions, and the words Dam, am and a in four directions, so that there are no less than three hundred and twenty readings of these words in the whole mystic cross, and sixty-four in each separate cross, though only three different letters are used.
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No. LXVIII.—AFTER SOME SAD REVERSE
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No. LXX.—A PICTURE PUZZLE
“A misunderstanding between friends.”
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No. LXXIV.—A NERVOUS SHOCK
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No. LXXVIII.—A TRANSPARENCY
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No. LXXXII.—A RE-BUS
It was Incubus that the driver of a London Road car hurled as a scornful charge, at his rival on a motor car.
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No. LXXXV.—CHEQUERS AND STRIPES
Put a finger on one of the black backs in the top row, and move that stone round to the bottom of its column, then push upward, so that each stone rises into the row above it. Repeat this with the other back, and the stripes are formed.
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No. LXXXVIII.—A PICTURE PUZZLE
The eight animals hidden in this wood are-- Giraffe, Lion, Camel, Elephant, Hog, Horse, Bear, Hound.
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No. XC.—A REBUS
The solution is Wellington.
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No. XCV.—THE PUZZLED CARPENTER
The carpenter, anxious to stop a leak, was able to cut a board a foot square from a board two feet square, which was pierced at regular intervals by sixteen holes, by the following ingenious method:—
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No. XCVI.—NOT EASY WHEN YOU KNOW
The solution of the puzzling match rearrangement is as follows:—We repeat the original five square diagram, from which four squares were to be formed by rearranging three matches, and its solution below.
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No. XCVII.—SIMPLICITY
When we have constructed this figure with five matches, we can remove three of the matches, and then replace two of them so as to form a similar figure, by moving any three of them a short distance, and then replacing the two that are left behind, in their original positions! This “catch” finds many victims.
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No. XCIX.—FROM THE MATCHBOX
The diagram below shows how eight matches can be removed from the nine-square arrangement so as to leave two squares on the table.
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MISSING WORDS SOLUTIONS
1
What tempting sprite beguiled the boy to sample Fruit that hung ripest on the parson’s trees? Stripe upon stripe shall make him an example When the stern priest has brought him to his knees.
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2
Man of the dark room, traces none I find Upon these cartes of likeness to my features. Carest thou naught, O man of evil mind, Who racest thus to libel fellow creatures? Evil thus done reacts upon the doer, The carets in thy conduct, sir, are many; Recast thy life, and let thy crimes be fewer, Or all thy crates of good won’t fetch a penny!
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3
The missing words all spelt with the same seven letters, are tho’ near, a hornet, or neath, nor hate, or then a, near hot, than o’er, ten hoar, the roan, and eat horn.
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4
’Neath bluest Indian seas fierce battles spread ’Twixt subtle hermit-crabs and other shellfish! With horrid bustle when their foes are dead These crabs declare their shells sublet, so selfish.
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5
Though seated secure and sedate in his cage, Our Polly, when teased, will fly into a rage.
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6
All courtly honours are but light As grains that from a grater fly; And he who wears the Garter bright May haply in a garret die.
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7
I’d rather from a manger eat, I give my sacred word, Than dine in slums where ragmen meet, And German pedlars herd.
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8
A much married grandee of Cadiz Once angered some riotous ladies. To derange him they chucked A grenade, but he ducked, Which enraged these rude ladies of Cadiz.
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9
A lass and her lover were warned by the sky Not to wander too far where no shelter was nigh. She lingered behind, and drew an old church, St. Andrew by name, and was left in the lurch. She tried a short cut through the park on the grass, But sternly the warden forbade her to pass. Then helplessly stood the disconsolate maid, When the lad she was soon to wed ran to her aid.
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10
When weather smiles, and sunbeams play On flowers that wreathe and deck the green, Whate’er can match the scene so gay Whereat they crown the May-day queen?
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11
’Tis said of William, while his forces rested On Albion’s shores, when Harold had been bested, He made the shoers of his horses fuse Saxon spear-heads, to fashion into shoes.
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12
Happiness, brighter than rubies, is dead; Life’s battle, sterner and busier now, Heals the sore bruise that love left as it fled, Buries remembrance of long-broken vow!
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13
Press critics fall on me like sharks: “A shameless patcher of odds and ends, No chapter original,” and more remarks In adverse mood. But stay, my friends, He carpeth best who hath his record clean; My faults are published, yours are yet unseen!
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14
Plates are his staple, fashion-forms of grace In pastel deftly hinted. Pleats soft as petals, crowned by Beauty’s face, In palest hues are tinted.
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15
When Kate no heart nor heat displayed He ran to hide a tear; “All love is dead on earth,” he said. “Another I’ll not hear!”
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16
Some grinding at the tholes must toil, Down-trodden helots of to-day; While other children of the soil In vast hotels their wealth display.
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17
Betrayed by faithless friends, in sadder mood Man dreads his fellows as the adder’s brood.
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18
With divers inks his skin is scarred, He hangs a bangle in his nose; Such marks secure his kin’s regard, Exalt his fame, and sink his foes.
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19
Steward, who, as we west’ard roll, Drawest for me the foaming bowl, And wardest off unfriendly spray With oilskin-cape, thou shalt not say “In vain I’ve strawed my favours here.” I’ll think of thee when port is near!
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20
With high ideals for hearts and hands, These ladies sailed for distant lands.
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21
The premiss of his speech did not Impress his audience a jot. They greeted all he said thereafter With simpers, smiles, and open laughter.
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22
To convent shrine at break of day With palms together nuns repair; Mid gleaming lamps they kneel and pray, And chanted psalm allays each care.
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23
Here once, as a hag is bedizened with paint, A devil lived, veil’d in the garb of a saint.
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24
The missing words of the lines “In praise of Sussex,” are apers, rapes, spear, spare, pears, reaps, parse, pares, all spelt with the same letters.
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25
The missing words are there, ether, and three.
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26
The missing words are trades, daters, treads, darest, and read’st.
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27
The Tsar with arts importunate To rule his tars may try; His star is so unfortunate That “rats” they may reply!
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28
The missing words are mace, acme, and came.
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29
The missing words are esprit, sprite, priest, stripe, and ripest.
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30
Of all destructive country pests The farmer loves voles least; He cannot yet the puzzle solve How to suppress the beast!
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31
The “Fresh Air Fund” missing words are given below in italics:—
OH THE LUSTRE OF THE RESULT
The slimes of darkest London are radiant with smiles, You can read it in their dear little faces: So wherever you reside let it be your heart’s desire To ease the cares and sorrows of all races!
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32
She rouges in vain, “Men are rogues, and as shy As grouse in October,” she says with a sigh.
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33
When good men lapse the Serpent grins, When one repents he swears; And strives to set his former sins Against his present prayers.
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34
His hands and face were swart, and sad Upon the straw a gipsy lad Lay: as the breeze his temples fanned He counted warts on either hand.
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35
In yon grey manse an old divine Taught me my “mensa” to decline, And verbs with names of mood and tense; But while I plodded on apace I had to keep the means of grace, And close his prayers with loud amens.
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36
No reckless drawer of the sword, He warred his fatherland to save. Fighting for freedom, not reward, Now warder of the eastern seas.
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37
A fair design, though singed and frayed, The critic deigns to own, And it might interest the trade If signed by some one known.
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38
In his latter days, as when he was young, The tatler indulges in rattle of tongue.
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39
The missing words indicated in the lines which begin
A cylindrical lock Where no key can be found.
are a ringlet, triangle, relating, altering, and integral, which are all spelt with the same eight letters.
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40
The lines with missing words, which are increased each time by one letter, run thus:—
A lover of an unkind fair Were less than man did he not moan, “Mine is no nomad life, I swear, It dwells in this domain alone. Grant me thy love, like diamond chaste On diadem, lest thou live unwooed, Doomed in a lonely life to waste The treasure of sweet maidenhood.”
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41
The missing words are bared, beard, debar, bread.
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42 THE PAUPER’S PLAINT
Pale penury that rivest social bands, And any link that rivets worth to fame, Take ye the blame for my inactive hands, I strive in vain to build upon the sands, Without a stiver, who can make a name?
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43
Mr Backslide, afflicted with weakness of mind, Cantered over to Lushington’s inn, where he dined. He recanted the pledge he had taken as handy, And emptied forthwith a decanter of brandy.
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44
The missing words are indicated below by italics:—
A sutler sat in his ulster grey, Watching the moonbeams lustre play On a keg that in the bushes lay; And these were the words of his song:— “Thou rulest the weak, thou lurest the strong, To thee the result of bad deeds doth belong.” And the leaves with a rustle took up the sad song.
It would be difficult to find a better specimen than this of seven words spelt with the same letters.
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45
In these lines each of the words in italics is longer by one letter than the one before, the same letters being carried on in varied order:—
Nature I love in every land, On burning plain, by wooded rill; Where Ind is girt by coral strand, Or Edin rears her castled hill. Then deign from me the tale to hear, How, true to one design, the bee Once singled out keeps year by year The leadings by her instinct given, Which teach her, wheresoe’er she roam, In every clime beneath the heaven, To build the same six-angled home.
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46
The missing words are smite, times, emits, items, and mites.
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47
The missing words of the Farmyard puzzle are printed in italics:—
All his flock from danger rough, To the garden ran apace, Where their gander, old and tough, Ranged, the guardian of his race.
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48
Come, landlord, fill the flowing pots, Until their tops run over; For in this spot to-night I’ll stop, To-morrow post to Dover!
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49
The four missing words are silent, listen, enlist, and tinsel, which are all spelt with the same letters.
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50
Some men their teams escorted on their way, When “Mates look here!” I heard a driver say: “It tames our pluck to toil like steam all day, When, wanting meats, we starve on wretched pay.”
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51 WISDOM WHILE YOU WAIT
As a general gleaner of facts you’ll find Our Encyclopædia enlarge the mind.
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52
The missing words are nectar, Cretan, canter, trance, recant.
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53
I Satan but for rebel act Without a stain should be; But this is at an end, in fact None find a saint in me.
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54
“Oh for a break in this vast solitude, This endless rise and fall of brake and moor!” Soliloquised a baker in sad mood, As through the lonely hills the staff of life he bore.
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55 THE SEA SERPENT
’Twas in mid-ocean that we saw him play, Like a demoniac in his sports, and they Amused us, as a good comedian may.
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56
Soup is on table for a notable divine, Who with no table is not able to sit down and dine.
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57
Sweet as the rose and cruel as its thorn, Eros thy power is great, thy pity scorn. Swift as the roes that through the forest fly, Deep as the ores that deepest hidden lie, Is thine own sore to hapless mortals given, Semblance of darkest hell or brightest heaven.
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58
The missing words, dedicated to the Fresh Air Fund, read thus:—
GOOD TIMES FOR CITY MITES
My pipe emits for me its charms, that yield Pictures and items of a children’s day. Lest conscience smite I sit me down to say My mites shall send some City mites afield.
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59
He said “you Cretan,” when one lied, He said “don’t canter,” when one hied, His glass held nectar at his side, He can recant what he denied.
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60
Mr Snip, the agnostic, was coasting a hill, With a bag of new coatings for stock; When a runaway motor-car gave him a spill Which scattered his doubts with the shock.
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61
Pales her fair cheek, and back o’er all The lapse of years leaps memory. Those wedding peals to her recall The pleas he urged so tenderly.
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62
Two burglars attempted to rifle a house, But the filer was heard, though as still as a mouse. When challenged at once he a flier became, But caught as a lifer he finished his game.
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63
The licensed fool in olden days Gave kings advice in jesting phrase; He’s silenced now: the modern throne Declines all follies but its own.
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64
Days of dearth, and times of evil, Starving girls with thread do toil, No man dareth feast or revel, Hushed is hatred and turmoil.
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65
Who reineth in his pride and rage, To neither vice a prey, May hope to reach a green old age, And find therein his stay.
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66
This is the full text of Moore’s witty reply, when Limerick courted him as her member, and the “boys for fun’s sake” asked him to what party he belonged:—
“I’m of no party as a man, But as a poet am—a—tory!”
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67
Is England Israel? That this is so A solemn serial aspires to show. By most ignored, the theme is real to some, Who gravely to the same conclusion come. Like Ariels o’er obstacles they soar, And if an earl is ’vert they rave the more.
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68
Off to the links is now their cry, For golf is man’s idolatry: Be not dilatory or slow, Adroitly hit the ball will go.
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69
No maid e’er resided, North, South, East, or West, More desired than she who derides Love’s request.
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70
Though in adversity I be, It is, alas! sad verity No vestry aid comes nigh to me.
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71
Mastering his pride the royal James Came down upon the streaming Thames; Like emigrants his court repair To breath St Germain’s freer air.
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72
The drop letter lines are as follows:—
With lily leaves his oars are trifling, Her eager hands their treasures rifling. To the fair winds all cares I fling, And echo faintly answers fling!
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73
The solution of the enigma with missing letters:—
“There was no good ... in the d...y, so the klim,” is—
There was no good air in the dairy, so the milk turned.
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74
But unmerciful disaster followed fast and followed faster.
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75
If you write stale tales, at least do not steal the slate.
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76
The six missing words are Siren, risen, Erin’s, reins, rinse, resin.
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77
A man of parts had caught a sprat, And it was windy weather; “Give me my strap,” he cried, “to fix My fish and traps together.”
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78
The missing words are Cesar, acres, races, cares, scare.
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79
Buy my ripe melons, my lemons who’ll buy? Don’t look so solemn, but take some and try!
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80
He who nips may snip at last, How to spin we show; Take a sixpence, hold it fast, Press the pins and blow!
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PRINTED BY M‘LAREN AND CO., LTD., EDINBURGH.