Solution

(related to Problem: Find The Man's Wife)

There is no guessing required in this puzzle. It is all a question of elimination. If we can pair off any five of the ladies with their respective husbands, other than husband No. $10,$ then the remaining lady must be No. $10$'s wife.

I will show how this may be done. No. $8$ is seen carrying a lady's parasol in the same hand with his walking-stick. But every lady is provided with a parasol, except No. $3;$, therefore, No. $3$ may be safely said to be the wife of No. $8.$ Then No. $12$ is holding a bicycle, and the dress-guard and make disclose the fact that it is a lady's bicycle. The only lady in a cycling skirt is No. $5;$, therefore, we conclude that No. $5$ is No. $12$'s wife. Next, the man No. $6$ has a dog, and lady No. $11$ is seen carrying a dog chain. So we may safely pair No. $6$ with No. $11.$ Then we see that man No. $2$ is paying a newsboy for a paper. But we do not pay for newspapers in this way before receiving them, and the gentleman has apparently not taken one from the boy. But lady No. $9$ is seen reading a paper. The inference is obvious — that she has sent the boy to her husband for a penny. We, therefore, pair No. $2$ with No. $9.$ We have now disposed of all the ladies except Nos. $1$ and $7,$ and of all the men except Nos. $4$ and $10.$ On looking at No. $4$ we find that he is carrying a coat over his arm and that the buttons are on the left side;—not on the right, as a man wears them. So it is a lady's coat. But the coat clearly does not belong to No. $1,$ as she is seen to be wearing a coat already, while No. $7$ lady is very lightly clad. We, therefore, pair No. $7$ lady with man No. $4.$ Now the only lady left is No. $1,$ and we are consequently forced to the conclusion that she is the wife of No. $10.$ This is, therefore, the correct answer.


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References

Project Gutenberg

  1. Dudeney, H. E.: "Amusements in Mathematics", The Authors' Club, 1917

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