The one clear influence on this collection is the "local color" story of such writers as Bret Harte and Mark Twain.

As one critic, John L. Cobbs, has pointed out, the notable feature of Wister's local color narrative is the frequent inclusion of the "dude, a good-hearted but inept easterner, usually the narrator, wandering wide-eyed in the strange, rough western world." The dude generally acts as the fascinated observer of the local color events, sometimes passing judgment on them.