Riddle Me This

[Scott5114]

The table is a hundred miles wide, and the mother is on phones with each of her sons. 

[Denials]

The two sons are deaf and communicate via sign language?  (which is why they cannot "speak" to each other?)

[themountainclimber]

The one in the outhouse is European.

What are the other 2?

[88JRFAN]

Thats a good riddle. I have no clue

[Scott5114]

What are the other 2?

The guy headed to the outhouse is Russian.

In the outhouse, he's European.

After he's done in the outhouse he's Finnish.

[Denials]

Can we find out if anyone is right/close on the mother/sons one?

[TPIR1990]

They speak different languages, and can't comprehend the other's language, but the mother can both communicate and comprehend both languages.

Sorry for the delay guys. I was swamped and out of town most of the week last week, and this week I have company over. AHH! But tpirfan28 is correct!

Here's the answer I have, but along the same lines as what tpirfan28 said.

The mother was a Russian who was widowed during the war and who had fled to the West, leaving her first son behind with an aunt and uncle. She settled in France, married a Frenchman, and had a second son. When her first son visited her for the first time, there was a tearful reunion around the kitchen table. However, neither half-brother could speak the other's language, sot hey could converse only through their mother.

Okay, here is the next riddle.

Deadline: Friday, August 15.

One day, two sisters decided to clean out the old shed at the bottom of their garden. When they had finished the cleaning, one of them had a dirty face and the other had a clean face. THe sister with the clean face want and washed her face, but the girl with the dirty face did not wash. Why should this be so?

[88JRFAN]

Does it have anything to do with the stuff in the shed?

[themountainclimber]

The dirty-faced sister was burnt,and the other is a neat freak

[TPIR1990]

Does it have anything to do with the stuff in the shed?

Nope.

The dirty-faced sister was burnt,and the other is a neat freak

Nope.

[barkerguy]

They were going to wash each others faces. The girl with the clean face was actually washing her sister's face. And the girl with the dirty face didn't have to wash her sister's face because it was already clean.   

[TPIR1990]

They were going to wash each others faces. The girl with the clean face was actually washing her sister's face. And the girl with the dirty face didn't have to wash her sister's face because it was already clean.   

Even though this isn't exactly what I have, it is correct. Good job!

When they had finished cleaning, they had no mirror to look at, so each girl looker at her sister. The girl with the clean face saw that her sister was dirty and assumed that she would be dirty, so she washed. Her sister made the reverse assumption.

Next One!

Deadline: Sunday, August 17.

Clues: 1

This is a VERY long one. You might want to read it a couple times.

Many years ago, there was a poor miller who could not afford to pay the rent on his mill. His grasping old landlord threatened to evict him, his wife, and his daughter; however, the landlord did offer them an option. If the miller's beautiful young daughter would marry the old man, then he would forget their debts and let the miller and his wife live in the mill rent-free.

The family met to discuss this proposition. The daughter was horrified at the prospect of marriage to the old man, but she realized that it might be the only hope for her parents. She suggested a compromise. They would draw lots. If the landlord won, she would meet his request, and if she won, he would wipe out all debts without her having to marry him. The landlord agreed.

The two stood on a stony path that had many black and white pebbles. The landlord suggested that they put one black pebble and one white one in a bag. If it were black, she must marry him, and if it were white she would be free. She reluctantly agreed to this suggestion. He bent down and picked up two pebbles to put in the bag, but she noticed he had cheated and put in two black pebbles.

She could expose him by showing there were now two black pebbles in the bag, but he would lose so much face in front of all the people there that he would be very angry and probably evict them. How could she seem to go along with the plan and triumph knowing there were only two black pebbles in the bag?

[Jnelson09]

Hmm.....

What color was the bag?

[Ton80]

She reaches into the bag and pulls out a pebble.  Without showing anyone, she "accidentally" drops it.  When the old man protests that they'll never know what color the pebble was, she suggests pulling out the other pebble - which would be the opposite color of the one she drew (ASSUMING a FAIR GAME).

However, since the game was rigged, she draws and drops a black pebble.  Without revealing the old man was a cheater, she contends that the pebble she drew MUST have been white, since the remaining pebble is black.  The old man has no choice but to admit he cheated, or go along with his agreement and wipe out the family debts.

[JokerFan]

She would draw a rock out and have the old man draw the other rock.  She would then have the old man reveal his rock.  If it was black, then that would mean she would have white, and thus she would be free.  If it was white, then that would mean she would have black, and thus would have to marry the landlord.  Since the landlord put in two black pebbles, he would show a black pebble, so the daughter would say that since he has the black pebble, she must have the white pebble, and thus she would be free.