A DISASTROUS PUZZLE

Inangahua Times, Volume II, Issue II, 31 May 1880, Page 2

A DISASTROUS PUZZLE

Wanted.— Tbree competent men to fill vacancies on the editorial staff. Tbe sad circumstances which called out the abore advertisement are as follows . In yesterday's editorial column appeared a notice that a man named Shores bad married bis stepdaughter, wbo" was also his cousin, being an uncle's daughter by bis (Shores') deceased wife's former marriage. The city editor thoughtlessly : " Whal relation wou'd the ohildren sustain to the parent ?" The whole force r attempted to solye the problem, with ter« rible results. 'In tbe first place,* said the city cdi» tor, 'the children would be their father's and mother's second cousins ; and their grandfather would be their grand-uncle by their father's side, while their grand mother would be their grand-aunt and also step- mother, as well as their father's wife, hence they'd be tbeir own children —Gracious: twice nothing are nothing - and two to carry.' And then he tried to stab himself with a copy hook. The niaht editor said ; *As he married his wife's daughter, the mother is sister ■ to her own children, and he? husband must be tbeir brotber-in«»law, being also \ a cousin to bis wife, ber children are his secoud cousins, and sbe must be cousin to her husband, so he's his own cousin, and , beine his own cousin he must also have i been bis cousins and his uncles and his [ aunts— -and so do his sisters and his , cousins and hfs aonts — and so do his > cousins and his—' And right here it be i came necessary to fix tbe night editor in- . to his chair, where be sits wildly repeating ' and so do bis uncles and his cousins p and his aunts,* a hopeless idiot, ? Then the editor attacked it and in two | minutes he made the children their own . motberß«in*law, and one of them he de« ? clared was ber own grandmother, after , wbich he was delivered np to tba police f for safe keeping. The problem was taken up by the com** j positors, and in balf an hour every man , was sitting with staring eyes, figuring s with his finger on the back of his hand, j and * swearing Shores had married his l ereat grand mother without a license, } while tbe devil jumped out of tbe wins 9 dow under the impression he was his own i ancestor,