On the Divide by Willa Cather

Cather's description is so vivid and minute that you can visualize each scene. The development of the story follows the authodox way of story telling. That is, let the protagonist, Canute, faces as much hardships as possible: He is a barbarian, his manner wild, his shanty weird with snaky decorations on the entrance door and on the window sills ; while Lena Yensen ditests him very much. She says, "And [Canute's] hair that ain't been cut since he was a baby, and a big dirty beard, and he wears overalls on Sundys, and drinks like a pig. Besides he will keep."

At the end of the story, however, he succeessfully gets married with Lena, by force. He  abducts Lena and forces the priest to marry them. 

Overall, the worse the hindrance, the better the ending.