The _Woman's Home Companion_ repeats a good story that is told of a
quick-witted Irishman with a natural aptitude for mental arithmetic who
was working in a field with a Dutchman, when they unearthed a box of
silver coins. The covetous Dutchman at once laid claim to the whole booty,
because he was the first to break it open and discover its valuable
contents.
"Go softly," said the Irishman, "for the whole business is mine. It's a
bit of money that was left me by an uncle, and I buried it here for
safe-keeping. There was a thousand dollars."
"All right with that," replied the Dutchman, as he caught on to the bait.
"If you tell me how much money there is, it's with you; if you miss, she's
mine."
"That's fair, and you have the sentiments of a gentleman," replied Pat, as
he made a quick mental calculation from the weight of the box that there
must be somewhere between fifty and three hundred and fifty dollars. "I
sent six hundred and forty-two dollars and fifty-three cents to my mother
in the old country, so add that amount to what there is in the box."
"That is done so quick," said the Dutchman.
"Then deduct that amount from the sum of one thousand dollars, which was
left me," said Pat.
"Done again," said the Dutchman.
"Now deduct those figures from three hundred and fifty-seven dollars and
forty-seven cents, which I had to pay the lawyers, and it leaves the exact
amount to one cent that you will find in the box."
"That's the right money to a penny," said the Dutchman, after he had
counted it carefully, "and it proves that you are an honest man."
It is not every one who can see through the mathematics of this puzzle so
as to know that Pat's problem would work out all right if the box
contained any sum up to three hundred and fifty dollars.