Part One, Chapter One Summary

The novel, "A Lost Lady," by Willa Cather sketches the changing relationship between a young boy in the western town of Sweet Water and a worldly but beautiful lady from California. The boy, Niel Herbert, was a little boy when he first saw Mrs. Forrester and believed her to be something "not of this world." By the time he is 19, Niel's opinion of Mrs. Forrester has changed to chagrin as he watches her flirt with boys Niel believes are below her social class.

Chapter One begins with a brief description of the aristocratic nature of the railroad and the people who made their living through this type of work. One house is mentioned that exceeded the hospitality of others along a stretch of the Burlington railroad. This house is identified as that of Captain Daniel Forrester. It...