willing to contend, and with the advice of
her friends and her lawyer, she concluded to
sell the estate, except that portion covered
by the Sisters' title, which, with the home-
stead, had been reconveyed to her by Clar-
ence. She retired with Susy to the house
in San Francisco, leaving Clarence to oc-
cupy and hold the casa, with her servants,
for her until order was restored. The Ro-
bles Rancho thus became the headquarters.
of the new owner of the Sisters' title,
from which he administered its affairs, vis-
ited its incumbencies, overlooked and sur-
veyed its lands, and -- occasionally -- col-
lected its rents. There were not wanting
critics who averred that these were scarcely
remunerative, and that the young San Fran-
cisco fine gentleman, who was only Hamilton
Brant's son, after all, yet who wished to
ape the dignity and degree of a large land-
holder, had made a very foolish bargain.
I grieve to say that one of his own tenants,
namely, Jim Hooker, in his secret heart in-
clined to that belief, and looked upon Clar-
ence's speculation as an act of far-seeing
and inordinate vanity.

Indeed, the belligerent Jim had partly --
and of course darkly -- intimated some.

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