10.--BUYING PRESENTS.

"Whom do you think I met in town last week, Brother William?" said Uncle

Benjamin. "That old skinflint Jorkins. His family had been taking him

around buying Christmas presents. He said to me, 'Why cannot the

government abolish Christmas, and make the giving of presents punishable

by law? I came out this morning with a certain amount of money in my

pocket, and I find I have spent just half of it. In fact, if you will

believe me, I take home just as many shillings as I had pounds, and half

as many pounds as I had shillings. It is monstrous!'" Can you say

exactly how much money Jorkins had spent on those presents?

Amusements in Mathematics · 第 19 / 970 题