A Missouri farmer passed away and left his 17 mules to his three sons.
The instructions left in the will said that the oldest boy was to get
1/2, the second eldest 1/3, and the youngest 1/9. The three sons,
recognizing the difficulty of dividing 17 mules with 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 eldest
son got 1/2, or nine; the second got 1/3, or six; and the youngest got
1/9, or two. Adding up 9, 6, and 2 is 17. The uncle, having settled the
argument, hitched up his mule and drove home.