hang and to burn the murderer of her
Vincent. She often sits at the window, muttering to the logs of wood,
as if telling them some secret; and when she sees any stranger tumble
over them, she laughs with delight. She also caused a group of figures
to be erected, in memory of the murdered man, close to the footpath
which leads down from Hohlzobel to the forest mill, though this is a
custom peculiar to Catholics alone in our neighbourhood. Yonder, deep
in the centre of the wood, Vincent met his death. The only son left is
Adam, and she uses him worse than a step-child; it is said, that she
beats him as if he were still a child, and he makes no resistance,
though he has already proved that he is a genuine Roettmann, and won a
singular title, for he is known in the whole country as _The Horse_. He
went once to get his horse shod by the smith, whom he found bargaining
with a Briesgau peasant about the exchange of a horse: the horse was
harnessed to a large two-wheeled waggon, laden with sacks of peas. The
Briesgau peasant said: 'There is not such a horse in the world, he is
drawing a load that would require three common horses to draw.'

"'Oh! ho!' exclaimed Adam, who was standing by, in so loud and gruff a
voice that the Briesgauer tumbled right over his load, but luckily fell
against his horse. 'Oh! ho! I will make you a bet that I carry the
waggon and the peas in three loads to the Crown inn yonder. Will you
conclude the bargain, if I succeed in doing this?'

"'I will--done!' said the peasant.

"The horse was taken out of the waggon, Adam filled a large counterpane
with the peas and carried them to the inn, and then, seizing the
framework of the cart, he carried it in the same way to its
destination; and, finally, took the two great wheels on his shoulders,
and deposited them in the inn-yard: 'Which is the strongest, your horse
or I?' asked he of the peasant; and this is why he is called _The
Horse_.

"The manner in which Speidel-Roettmann made known his son's
extraordinary feat of strength shows his vainglorious, boasting
disposition: he is far from being a bad man, only a swaggerer of the
first class. The day after Adam's bet there was a fair in the town, and
the smith from our village met Speidel-Roettmann at an inn, and related
the circumstances I have told you. Speidel-Roettmann said, 'I will give
you a bottle of the best wine in this cellar, if you will go down to
the street, and shout to me up at the window th