nd
personal, with the exception of his mother's jewels, should, in the
event of his death, become the property of Wuertemberg, in
consideration of _a pitiful hirsch-gulden_! But with his mother's
jewels, a poor-house should be built in the town of Balingen.

The brothers were astonished anew; but instead of laughing this time,
they ground their teeth together, for they could not hope to dispute
the claim of Wuertemberg. They had lost the beautiful castle, the
forest and field, the town of Balingen, and even the fish-pond, and
inherited nothing but a miserable hirsch-gulden. This, Wolf stuck into
his purse with a defiant air, put on his cap, passed the Wuertemberg
officer without a word, sprang on his horse, and rode back to Zollern.

When, on the following morning, his mother reproached him with having
trifled away the estate and jewels, he rode over to Schalksberg and
said to his brother:

"Shall we gamble with our inheritance, or drink it up?"

"Let's drink it away," replied Schalk; "then we shall both have won. We
will ride down to Balingen and let the people see our disdain, even if
we have lost the village in a most outrageous manner."

"And at 'The Lamb' tavern they have as good red wine as any the emperor
drinks," added Wolf.

So they rode down together to "The Lamb," and inquired the cost of a
quart of this red wine, and drank the worth of the gulden. Then Wolf
got up, took from his purse the silver coin with the leaping stag
stamped on it, threw it down on the table, and said:

"There's your gulden, that will make it right."

But the landlord picked up the gulden, looked at it first on one side
and then on the other, and said smilingly:

"Yes, if it was any thing but a hirsch-gulden; but last night the
messenger came from Stuttgart, and early this morning it was proclaimed
in the name of the Count of Wuertemberg, to whom this town now belongs,
that these coins would be no longer current; so give me some other
money."

The brothers looked at one another in dismay. "Pay up," said one.
"Haven't you got any change?" replied the other; and, in short, they
were obliged to remain in debt to "The Lamb" for a gulden.

They started back "home without speaking to one another until they came
to the cross-road, where the road to the right ran to Zollern and the
one to the left to Schalksberg. Then Schalk said:

"How now? We have inherited less than nothing; and moreover, the wine
was miserable."

"Yes, to b