Again, Liosha was no ordinary Albanian maiden.

She too had seen the world and could read and write and speak English.

She had a will of her own and had imbibed during her Chicago childhood curiously un-Albanian notions of feminine independence.

Being beautiful as well, she ranked as a sort of prize bride worth (in her father's eyes) her weight in gold.
It was to try to reduce this excessive valuation that the young cutthroat visited his father's house.

During the night two families, one of whom had a feud with the host and another with the guest, each attended by an army of merry brigands, fell upon the sleeping homestead, murdered everybody except Liosha, who managed to escape, plundered everything plunderable, money, valuables, household goods and live stock, and then set fire to the house and everything within sight that could burn.