ouse, but I must keep the white mouse for a tit-bit at the
finish. Thirteen is an unlucky number, but I will do my best to oblige
you."

"Hurry up, then!" shouted the mice.

"Give a fellow time to think," said the cat. "I don't know which of you
to start at. I must figure it out."

While the cat was working out the puzzle he fell asleep, and, the spell
being thus broken, the mice returned home in safety. At which mouse
should the cat have started the count in order that the white mouse
should be the last eaten?

When the reader has solved that little puzzle, here is a second one for
him. What is the smallest number that the cat can count round and round
the circle, if he must start at the white mouse (calling that "one" in
the count) and still eat the white mouse last of all?

And as a third puzzle try to discover what is the smallest number that
the cat can count round and round if she must start at the white mouse
(calling that "one") and make the white mouse the third eaten.

233.--THE ECCENTRIC CHEESEMONGER.

[Illustration]

The cheesemonger depicted in the illustration is an inveterate puzzle
lover. One of his favourite puzzles is the piling of cheeses in his
warehouse, an amusement that he finds good exercise for the body as well
as for the mind. He places sixteen cheeses on the floor in a straight
row and then makes them into four piles, with four cheeses in every
pile, by always passing a cheese over four others. If you use sixteen
counters and number them in order from 1 to 16, then you may place 1 on
6, 11 on 1, 7 on 4, and so on, until there are four in every pile. It
will be seen that it does not matter whether the four passed over are
standing alone or piled; they count just the same, and you can always
carry a cheese in either direction. There are a great many different
ways of doing it in twelve moves, so it makes a good game of "patience"
to try to solve it so that the four piles shall be left in different
stipulated places. For example, try to leave the piles at the extreme
ends of the row, on Nos. 1, 2, 15 and 16; this is quite easy. Then try
to leave three piles together, on Nos. 13, 14, and 15. Then again play
so that they shall be left on Nos. 3, 5, 12, and 14.

234.--THE EXCHANGE PUZZLE.

Here is a rather entertaining little puzzle with moving counters. You
only need twelve counters--six of one colour, marked A, C, E, G, I, and
K, and the other six marked B, D, F, H, J, and L. You