George Gibbs - 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)