Seventeen Mules
In Missouri，where they raise more mules than in any other place in the world, a farmer died, leaving behind seventeen mules and three sons. In his will he disposed of his mules as follows; One-half to the eldest son, one-third to the next, and one-ninth to the yourgest.
The administrator who went to divide the property drove a span of mules out to the farm, but when he went to divide the seventeen into halves, thirds and ninths he found it was impossible with live mules. Mules not being very valuable at the time, he unhitched one of his own
, putting it with the seventeen, amking eighteen, which he proceeded to divide as follows:
One-half, or nine, to the dldest son.
One-third, or six, to the next son.
One-ninth, or two,to the youngest.
Adding up nine, isx, two, he found that it made seventeen so he hitched up his own mule and went away rejoicing.
17头骡子
密苏里州的骡子比世界上任何一个地方的骡子都要多。那里的一位农夫去世后，留给三个儿子17头骡子。在他的遗嘱中，他将他的骡子分配如下：把二分之一给大儿子，三分之一给二儿子，九分之一给小儿子。
负责分配遗产的人驾着一辆双骡套车来到了农场，但是当地开始把那17只骡子按时一分之一，三分之一和九分之一来分配时，他发现以活骡子根本无法做到。他发现以活骡子根本无法做到。在那个时候，骡子根本不值钱，他从自己车上解下一头骡子，把它凑成了解只，然后他做了如下分配：二分之一，也就是九只骡子，分给大儿子：
三分之一，也就是六只骡子分给二儿子。
九分之一，也就是两只骡子，分给小儿子。
他把这九只，六只和两只相加后，得出了解只的总数。于是他把他自己的那只骡子重新套上车，欣喜地离开了。
