Year: 1860

IeuioNcu ny bWO VI eNcu ouO hioh vi VI
dinary strength, and ready access thus
opened to the treasures within. The
architect never made use, personally. oi
this avenue to wealth but he fell i'll soon
after the completion of the building, and
being more anxious about the monetary
comfort Of his wife and his two sons than
the preservation of their honesty, he told
the youths of the manner in which he had
provided for their future prosperity by
the artifce of the hole in the wall:


Not long after his fathers death, the
sons went to the spot, crept into the
treasury, and carried away enough to
supply their wants for the time being
When their necessities called upon them
they went back again and again. But,
i'll the meantime the traps were set, and
on one of their visits the elder of the
brothsrs was caught therein He com
preheu ded his situation instantly, and
being a bold, determined fellow, called
upon the younger to kill him instantly.


at is the only means" exclaimed he,
'to save our mother and yourself. If
when found here | am known, the whole
affair will be detected and all of us will
perish at once. Therefore, since l can
not escape, and must die, cut off my head
brother, and carry it away. 1t will be
impossible for them then to recognise me.


The younger brother was most unwil-
ling to obey the others desire; but at
length, with sad heart, he did as he was
H. tbnn EctaJ h;o Irot har,o
head, crept through and replaced the
stone and crept home to his mother.


BY daylight Rhemphis was in his treas
ury to discover the result of his schemes,
and never perhaps was king or common
man so surprised as when he found the
hcadless trunk of man in trap, while
at the same time no possible mode of
egress or ingress was yet to be seen.


The affair was ten times more mystic
rious than ever. Rhemphis; however,
formed ssome hope of unravelling it by
means Of the corpse which he ordered to
be exposed near the spot, while at the
same time he placed band of soldiery
hard by, with orders to seize any one
who should express sorrow at the sight


This weak invention never would have
brought the truth to light, as the sur
viving thief was too wise to take any
notice of the matter but his mother COM
PEELED him to interfere. The old lady
was exasperated at the treatment of her
lost sons body, and plainly told the sur
vivor that if he lid not fall on some
means of bringing it away, she would 60
and tell the whole to the king.


In vain did the youth try to excuse
himself the mother knew his inventive
genius, and was obstinate. Finding this
to be the case, the son bethought himself
of plan to effect his wish. Loading
some asses with skins of wine, he drove
them in the evening close to the spot
where the soldiers were stationed, and
then secretly drew out the peg from the
skins.


'Oh, my winc my beautiful wine -
From Mereotis, every drop ofitP he be-
gan to howl in such manner as speedi-
ly to bring the soldiers to his side.


Instead of helping him, however, to re-
place the pegs, they began to drink free
ly from the skins, as he expected. He
affected at first to be angry but they only
laughed and made game of him, he SEEM
ed to become pacified, and to admire their
drollery. Nay, in token of that admira
ton, he gave them skin of wine, and
helped to drink it, appearing enchanted
with the merriment.


The issue was, that every man became
intoxicated, and in time fell asleep. The
youth allowed the night to come on and
then took down the body which he put
into sack prepared for it, and laid on
the back of one of the asses.


Being fellow of irrepressble drollery,
he could not leave without leaving the
soldiers, and the king also parting token
of his derision, by cutting off a portion
of the whisker on the right check of each
of the drunken men.


When Rhemphis heard this, he was,
you may be sure, in a dreadful passion,
though his admiration of the thieTs in
genuity and boldness was almost equal
to his anger. The old king could do
nothing after these events, but think and
dream of that same thief When his
daughter asked him at dinner what he
would like to have, the thief was the
usual reply.


In fact, nc grew a sort of monomaniac
upon the subject; and had he been born
ruler of millions, would assuredly have
been heartily beaten twenty times over,
seeing that he got into such dotage on
this point as at last to ask all about him,
not excepting even his prime minister,
Are you the thief--my theft


At length he fell upon strange plan
to discover the cause of all his trouble
He commanded his beautiful daughter to
receive the addresses of any man on con-
dition that he would tell her the most
artful as well as wicked thing he ever did.
Rhemphis conjectured that either the
hope Of marrying the princess, or the
sheer audacity that seemed to distinguish
him, would bring forward the rogue and
he was not disappointed. The young thief
came forward at once, but guessing at
the kings plan, he provided himself ac-
cordingly.


He went on his courting expedition to
to the princess, and remained with her
till dark, when according to the plan, the
young lady put the question TO him. The