When Ruth has gone into the church, Joseph turns to the Reverend and asks how long it's been since he's seen his daughter. The Reverend doesn't remember, exactly. He estimates it's been twelve or fifteen years. He can quote scriptures from memory, but he can't remember the last time he saw his daughter. Maybe he just doesn't want to remember. The timeline is about right to coincide with his drunken broadsword days and joining up with John Brown. Joseph questions leaving Ruth alone in a place like Hell on Wheels. He's shocked and disappointed and it shows. So the Reverend goes into the church where Ruth is on the verge of tears. "There are some things I need to tell you," he says. She looks up at him with big, hopeful eyes. He loses his courage along with whatever he was going to tell her. Instead, he tells her where to find the bacon, coffee and flour. Ruth's hopes are dashed. "Don't let the drunks stumble in and sleep on the pews," he says. "There's knife under the altar, if you need it, and just... try to make yourself useful." So Ruth grabs the knife and hacks him into a dozen pieces. Or maybe she sits there looking devastated. He goes on to tell her not to leave the tent, unless it's on fire. With that, he leaves, and the tears that Ruth's been working on finally start to fall.

In the Tent of Magic Lamps and Irish Nostalgia (minus one slide), Mickey is struggling to read a letter from his ma. Either her house or her hair was set ablaze, but he can't quite figure out which. Sean, alarmed, snatches the letter away from him and starts to read for himself. He doesn't get far, though, because the tent begins to cave in around them. Mickey and Sean run outside to find the Swede axing the ties from the tent pegs. The whole thing crumples. "I thought you said you were gonna give us more time!" Mickey reminds him. "You asked for a 'little' more time," says the Swede, "and that's what I give you!" Heh. He makes like he's utterly bewildered by the lads' protestations.