Rhampsinitos, an architect, built for the King of Egypt a treasure-house with a secret entrance. This secret, at his death, the architect told to his two sons. They thereupon helped themselves to the king’s treasures. As the king noticed how his treasures were gradually decreasing, he placed a trap in the entrance to the treasure-house. The younger brother was caught in the trap, and seeing that he could not escape, he begged his brother to cut off his head so that the king might not know that the architect had told the secret, and that the brother might not get into trouble. So the king found the headless body, and of course could not recognize the thief. But to find out who he was, he had the body exposed in a public place, and ordered the guards to arrest any person who should mourn for the dead man. The mother saw and recognized the body, and threatened to tell the king, unless the elder son should bring the body home. The son then filled some skin bottles with wine, and loaded them upon asses. As he rode by the guards, he slightly loosened the mouth-string of the sacks, and the wine began to run out. The guards, pretending to help him, helped themselves to the wine. After tying up the skins, the youth asks them to sit down and drink wine with him. They do so, and are soon overpowered by it, and fall asleep. He then carried away the body. Soon after he was married to the princess, for the king sought to honor this Master Thief, and he was held to be the cleverest man of the cleverest people. THE STORY OF THE POOR MASON. In the Spanish story of the Poor Mason a priest wished him to build a secret hiding-place for his treasure. In order that the mason might not know how to get at the treasure, should he be so inclined, the priest blindfolded him from the time of leaving his own home till he arrived at the treasure-house, and again blindfolded him on his return. So the mason knew the secret of the priest’s hidden treasure, but did not know where the house was in which it was secreted. The priest finally died. The house was then said to be haunted. The landlord could not find a tenant. At last he happened on the poor mason, and offered him the house rent free. As soon as the mason entered it, he saw that it was the house where the wealth was stored, and where he had worked. He kept the secret to himself, until like the Egyptian architect, he told it on his death-bed to his son.