Our story begins with the introduction of Father Salvierderra, who was an old man both feeble spiritually as well as mentally since the United States government decision following the Mexican- American War. He feels as if the holy land of California will from here on be lost to the power of the ungodly. He has traveled to Santa Barbara to visit Señora Moreno. He meets with Ramona on his way, and they run into Felipe. Ramona thinks that Felipe is beautiful, so much so that it makes her self conscious of her own looks, while Felipe is in love with Ramona but cannot find the courage to tell her. As they walk toward Señora Moreno's house, Ramona sports her favorite maid, who is in tears because she has ruined the white-linen alter cloth which was to be used in mass the following day. Ramona agrees to help her, and make the cloth almost unnoticeably ruined. The maid is very pleased with the fact that she will help, but she is afraid to tell the Señora, for fear of her getting upset with her, and the way Ramona responds tells a lot about the kind of person she is; she says "Nothing can be so bad as to be displeased with one's self." This shows that Ramona is an extremely honest person who live her truth, no matter what the repercussions.
There is then a dinner, in which the Señora requests that the maid go get Ramona, however Felipe covers for Ramona to his mother, upon Ramona's request. He does so and the dinner conversation continues with the Señora none the wiser. Ramona is down at the river cleaning the linen, when she suddenly comes across a group of Indian shearers , one of which is Alessandro, son of the captain of the group. The chapter ends here, and makes me want to read the rest of the story, because it seems very interesting.
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