Weary wille and tired tim puzzle

Puzzle

"As showing how valuable knowledge, improving to the mind, may be learned from incidents which may occur to a gentleman of leisure during a summer's outing," murmured Weary Willie, during one of his reminiscent moods, "I recall a chance meeting with Tired Tim on an urban branch of the D. L. & W. We exchanged the sign, password and fraternal grip and became acquainted at once. It appeared that a change from Joytown air was recommended for him at the same time that I was persuaded that it would be better for my health to leave Pleasantville. That is how we came to meet at a point ten miles on the road." "We fraternized just long enough to become chummy and swap diaries according to rule and then jogged on to our different destinations. "Both towns proved to be overworked, and secret association marks showed the people to be so mercenary and uncongenial that it would be waste of time to tarry. "Accepting the escort of the attentive policeman who invariably recommended traveling gentlemen to return by the same route to where they came from, we started as it appears, simultaneously on our return trips. "That is why, as shown in the sketch, that I again met my erstwhile acquaintance, at a point twelve miles from Pleasantville, but I'll go you the beers that from the data given you can't figure out how many miles it is from Joytown to Pleasantville." Of course, it is assumed that each of the pedestrians maintained his own respective gait, both in going and coming from one town to another.

Solution

Answer

References

• Loyd, Sam [1914]. in Loyd, Sam, Jr.: Sam Loyd's Cyclopedia of 5000 Puzzles Tricks and Conundrums (in English). New York: Lamb Publishing company, page 36.