Should my son appear, I would prefer not to suffer his smile of victory. Seed of my destruction.
-- Eli McCullough (Chapter 1 paragraph 3)

Importance: In this quote, Eli refers to his son, Peter, who runs off to live with Maria Garcia, the only living relative of Pedro Garcia. Eli had earlier annihilated the family because they were stealing his cattle. When Peter leaves, he additionally takes with him $250,000 of his father’s money. The quote actually foreshadows the actual destruction of the McCullough family, as it is the grandson of Peter and Maria who accidentally causes Jeannie, the last family member interested in preserving the Colonel’s legacy, to be fatally hurt.

The papers, she thought. She had saved them from the fire once and had not gotten around to destroying them. Now they would be found.
-- Jeanne McCullough (Chapter 2 paragraph 13)

Importance: As she lies dying, Jeanne is worried that her grandfather’s journals, which she saved from the fire when...