read the following excerpt from "the outcasts of poker flat" by bret harte.

"as mr. john oakhurst, gambler, stepped into the main street of poker flat on the morning of the twenty-third of november, eighteen-fifty, he was conscious of a change in its moral atmosphere since the preceding night. 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."

"the outcasts of poker flat" by bret hart, 1869

this descriptive passage paints a vivid picture of