und, and I
couldn't help thinking there might be a tramp in there. All at once a
bright thought struck me. Aunt Pam wasn't afraid of tramps; she wasn't
afraid of anything. And, after all, it was her shawl. If it was worth
having, it was worth going after. But how about betraying the boys?
Another bright thought struck me. I'd make Aunt Pam one of us. She could
say the words over after me, and she could crawl in and get the shawl,
while I kept guard outside: and if anybody says Aunt Pam is old after
that, they must be crazy. She said all the words solemnly, one after
another; then she crawled in, and dragged out every blessed thing she
could lay her hands on. I put 'em all back the next morning, and the
best of it all was that Aunt Pam never gave us away. She just told the
folks she found the shawl herself, and she did, you know--didn't she?

MATHEMATICAL PUZZLES.

No. 5.

Two boys kept neighboring apple stands, and each had thirty apples to
sell every day. One sold his at the rate of two for five cents, and
received seventy-five cents, and the other at three for five cents, and
received fifty cents, the total being one dollar and twenty-five cents.
It happened one day that one of the boys was sick, and the other engaged
to sell the whole stock of sixty apples at the same rate. "Two for five,
and three for five, that's five for ten," said he, and five for ten he
sold them. But to his astonishment, when he got through he had but one
dollar and twenty cents instead of one dollar and twenty-five cents. Now
how did he lose five cents?

No. 6.

"How old are your children?" asked a lady who was visiting a friend, the
mother of three beautiful daughters. "My oldest daughter is just double
the age of my youngest daughter," replied the mother, "and the age of my
other child is that of her youngest sister and one-third more. Their
three combined ages make exactly the sum of my age, and I shall be
sixty-six one year from to-day." What was the age of each of the three
daughters?

THE OLDEST ROSE-BUSH IN THE WORLD.

They say it is the oldest, and who knows that it is not? I will tell you
the story as it was told to me, and you shall see what you think of it.

There is a funny old town in Germany called Hildesheim, a little out of
the way of travellers, but full of curious and interesting things, and
over its fine cathedral walls climbs a rose-bush so large and strong
that it may well be a thousand years ol