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A M Clue
ALICE IS IN EASTERN OREGON (IN MOUNTAIN TIME) AND LAUREN IS IN WESTERN FLORIDA (IN CENTRAL TIME). IT IS THE NIGHT THAT DAYLIGHT-SAVINGS TIME CHANGES BACK TO STANDARD TIME ANY TIME AFTER 1:00 AND BEFORE 2:00 AM BRUCE TAKES 9 OF HIS 10 CIGARETTE BUTTS AND TURNS THEM INTO 3 CIGARETTES TOTAL (3 CIGARETTE BUTTS CAN BE TURNED INTO 1 CIGARETTE). HE SMOKES ALL THREE OF THESE, AND NOW HE HAS 4 CIGARETTE BUTTS. HE THEN TURNS 3 OF THE 4 CIGARETTE BUTTS INTO ANOTHER CIGARETTE AND SMOKES IT. HE HAS NOW SMOKED 4 CIGARETTES AND HAS 2 CIGARETTE BUTTS. AND FINALLY HE GOES AND BORROWS ONE OF TOM'S CIGARETTE BUTTS. WITH THIS CIGARETTE BUTT PLUS THE 2 HE ALREADY HAS, HE IS ABLE TO MAKE HIS 5TH CIGARETTE TO SMOKE. AFTER SMOKING IT, HE IS LEFT WITH 1 CIGARETTE BUTT, WHICH HE PUTS BACK IN TOM'S PILE SO THAT TOM WON'T FIND ANYTHING MISSING IT WOULD BE 9:00 PM. THERE ARE 12 HOURS BETWEEN 1:00 PM AND 1:00 AM AND HALF OF THAT IS SIX HOURS. HALF-WAY BETWEEN WOULD BE 7 O'CLOCK. TWO HOURS LATER IT WOULD BE 9:00 O'CLOCK THE MESSENGER HAS TO HAVE TRAVELED 2 KM. IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT SPEED THEY WALKED AT. AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PUZZLE, THE LINE IS 1 KM LONG. THE GENERAL IS THEREFORE 1 KM AHEAD OF HIM. THE MESSENGER MUST THEREFORE TRAVEL MORE THAN 1 KM TO REACH THE GENERAL. SINCE THE LINE MOVES 1 KM FORWARD, THE END IS WHERE THE BEGINNING WAS. EVEN IF HE WALKED 1.5 KM TO THE GENERAL, HE ONLY HAS TO WALK 0.5 KM TO GET BACK TO THE END OF THE LINE. IT GOES FASTER GOING BACK, BECAUSE NOW THEY ARE COMING TOWARDS HIM, AND NOT GOING AWAY