"He shore had fire in his eye." Long ago Ellen had betrayed an indignity she had suffered at the hands of a man.

Her father had nearly killed him.

Since then she had taken care to keep her troubles to herself.

If her father had not been blind and absorbed in his own brooding he would have seen a thousand things sufficient to inflame his Southern pride and temper.
"Daggs asked me to marry him again and I said he belonged to a bad lot," she replied.
Jorth laughed in scorn.

"Fool! My God! Ellen, I must have dragged you low--that every damned ru--er--sheepman--who comes along thinks he can marry you." At the break in his words, the incompleted meaning, Ellen dropped her eyes.