Fortunately the group had taken provisions off the animals and into the cabin. There was enough food to last the four people ten days during which they hoped the blizzard would weaken and they could depart. Ten days pass and Mother Shipton, who had been secretly starving herself and saving her food for Piney, sadly passes and leaves the secret of her death with John Oakhurst. John shows Tom a pair of snow shoes crudely made from saddles and says that the only way of saving them is by getting to Poker Flat for help in two days time or less. He says that he will go as far as the canyon with Tom and turn back. However, instead of turning back he shoots himself through the heart with his Derringer pistol beneath one of the largest pine trees to be found later by the residents of Poker Flat. That very night the blizzard reaches its peak and the weak protection of the cabin is not able to stave it off. The two women pass away holding onto one another and this is how they are found. .
One of the reasons this is a perfect example of local color fiction is that it was written as popular fiction. It was originally written by Bret Harte as a short story for the Overland Monthly, a prosperous and influential magazine of its time. Another reason is its use of accurate dialect with each character having unique dialect. An example from John Oakhurst, who is a professional gambler, is when he says, "throwin up their hand before the game was played out" (Harte 2). This differs from alcoholic Uncle Billy's dialect when he slurs "Is this yer a damned picnic?"(Harte 4). Thus we can see the different, yet accurate dialects of the different characters.
A third reason that this is an example of local color fiction is the realistic.
representation of local customs, dress, mannerisms, and the habits of thought by the characters. At the beginning of the story shows a local custom of a town banishing out its immoral characters from its borders.