Two or three men, conversing earnestly together, ceased as he approached, and exchanged significant glances.

There was a Sabbath lull in the air which, in a settlement unused to Sabbath influences, looked ominous.
Mr.Oakhurst's calm, handsome face betrayed small concern in these indications.

Whether he was conscious of any predisposing cause was another question.

"I reckon they're after somebody," he reflected; "likely it's me." He returned to his pocket the handkerchief with which he had been whipping away the red dust of Poker Flat from his neat boots, and quietly discharged his mind of any further conjecture.
In point of fact, Poker Flat was "after somebody." It had lately suffered the loss of several thousand dollars, two valuable horses, and a prominent citizen.

It was experiencing a spasm of virtuous reaction, quite as lawless and ungovernable as any of the acts that had provoked it.