Forbidden Way

...he went over to a cracked mirror in the corner and examined his face, grinning at his image and touching the red marks with his fingers.

"That was a love-tap for fair," he said. "I reckon I deserved it. But she oughtn’t to push a man too far. She was sure angry. Won’t speak now for a while." He turned with a confident air. "She’ll come around, though," he laughed. "You just bet she will." (From chapter 1 of The Forbidden Way)