Here is King Ptolemy’s great puzzle of squaring a pyramid, which for thousands of years has been known as the mysterious secret of the sphinx. Take an equilateral triangle (the three sides of equal length) and divide it into the least possible number of pieces which will fit together so as to form a perfect square.
2. A Rebus
How the veteran puzzlists who realize the truth of that time honored motto: “once a puzzlist, always a puzzlist,”' will recall the happy hours spent in translating the old fashioned picture-proverbs, like the following, which our grand fathers delighted to show us:
The old time proverb rebus reads: “Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.”
3. All About a Penny
Many years ago when conducting a pioneer puzzle department in the weekly edition of a daily newspaper (which idea has become so popular that all of the great dailies and weeklies have their puzzle columns). I gave a little coin puzzle which had an extensive run. The young folks were invited to see how many objects could be discovered in the above representation of a penny. To simplify the puzzle, however, I now give the names of the objects and merely ask you to locate them. 1. The name of an animal. 2. A kind of fruit. 3. A place of worship. 4. A beautiful flower. 5. Part of a jug. 6. Badge of officer. 7. Part of a hill. 8. Personal pronoun. 9. Part of a trunk. 10. Part of a whip. 11. Badge of royalty. 12. Pan of a pitcher. 13. That for which our forefathers bled. 14. A venomous serpent. 15. A protection against thieves. 16. An American Ambassador. How many more can you find in addition to these?
We see in the illustration: Hare, Date, Temple, Tulips, Neck, Star, Brow, Eye, Lids, Lash, Crown, Month, Liberty, Copperhead, Locks, One Cent by the U. S. A.
4. Susie and the Shopman
“Give me three skeins of silk and four of worsted,” said little Susie as she placed 31 cents on the counter, which was the correct amount.
Thinking she had the right to do a little shopping on her own account after the style of her mother, she remarked “I think I will change my mind and take four skeins of silk and only three of worsted.”
“Then you are just one cent shy,” remarked the shopman. “Oh no,” said little Susie as she skipped out of the door with the goods, “I think you are just one cent shy!” What was the price of silk and worsted?
Susie paid 5 cents for silk, 4 cents for worsted.
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