Just before he and Buz leave, Tod reflects on the one week they were associated with a traveling rodeo in Mesquite, Texas, the rodeo having packed up and moved to its next locale. Their association was through the rodeo's clown, Ollie Crump, who used to be a rodeo contestant himself until he lost one of his hands in an accident. Buz intervened in what was just the latest hazing incident two of the rodeo contestants, Del and Jud, perpetrated on Ollie. Rather than be upset about the hazing, Ollie seemed to take it in stride as all in fun, in always wanting to act the buffoon. Rather than stop as directed by Joe Wylie, the rodeo owner, Del and Jud wanted to perpetrate one last haze, this time getting back at both Ollie and Buz, hitting Ollie where it would hurt him the most, namely unwittingly involving the rodeo's widowed trick rider, Babe Hunter, who Ollie loves, but who, in her current state of sorrow and grief, doesn't love anyone or anything except the closest bottle of booze.
—Huggo