Mule

[Guest guest]

A Missouri farmer passed away and left 17 mules to his three

sons. The instructions left in the will said that the oldest

boy was to get one-half, the second oldest one-third, and the

youngest one-ninth. The three sons, recognizing the difficulty

of dividing 17 mules into these fractions, began to argue.

 

Their uncle heard about the argument, hitched up his mule and

drove out to settle the matter. He added his mule to the 17,

making 18. The oldest therefore got one-half, or nine, the

second oldest got one-third, or six, and the youngest son got

one-ninth, or two. Adding up 9, 6 and 2 equals 17. The uncle,

having settled the argument, hitched up his mule and drove

home.