Meanwhile, his aunt became seriously ill, and the young man visited her secretly, and prevailed upon her to give him, in the event of her death, certain cattle and other property which stood in her name.  She, however, recovered health; and he in the presence of his uncle, insisted that she had given him the property outright, and he wanted possession.  This made trouble between the old couple, and the wife took refuge with friends in San Francisco.  The night after her departure, the husband entered his own room and found the nephew in his bed.  Thoroughly enraged, he ordered him up and out of his sight, and was insolently told by the young man that he was owner of that property and in rightful possession of the same.  At this, his uncle snatched his pistol from the table at the bedside, and fired the fatal shot.

This almost incredible news was so harrowing that I could scarcely think of anything, except grandpa chained in a prison cell, grandma in hiding away from home, and excited groups of people gathering about the thoroughfares of Sonoma discussing the tragedy.

I was not sorry that at this time an epidemic of measles broke out in Sacramento, and Georgia became one of its early victims.  This brought both girls back to the ranch, and during Georgia’s convalescence, we had many serious talks about the Brunners’ troubles.  We wrote to grandma, but received no answer, and could only wait to learn what would be done with grandpa.  He was arraigned and held; but the date set for trial was not fixed before Benjamin took Frances and Georgia to Benicia, to enter the September term of St. Catherine’s Convent School.

Upon Ben’s return, I observed that he and Elitha were keeping from me some mysterious but pleasurable secret.  It came out a few days later when Elitha began making a black and a white uniform which would fit no one except me.  When ready to try them on, she informed me that we would have to sew early and late, that I might be ready to enter the convent by the first of October, and thereby reap the benefit of the institution’s established custom—­“That when more than two of a family become pupils the same term, the third one shall be received free of charge (except incidentals) with the understanding that the family thus favored shall exert its influence toward bringing an additional pupil into the school.”

Friends who had religious prejudices advised Ben against putting us under Catholic influence, but he replied good-naturedly:  “The school is excellent, the girls are Protestants, and I am not afraid.  Besides, I have told them all the horrible and uncanny stories that I have heard about convents, and they will not care to meddle with anything outside of the prescribed course of study.”

He was twenty years older than I, and had such conservative and dignified ways, that I often stood in awe of him.  So when he let the convent gate close behind us with a loud click and said, “Now, you are a goner,” I scanned his face apprehensively, but seeing nothing very alarming, silently followed him through the massive door which was in charge of a white-robed nun of the Dominican order.