It was a sunny morning in March 1938 as Calvin and Lynn left to catch the school bus to Jacksboro and Sillus departed, as usual, for the field with his mattock. About 9:00 A.M. Calvin and Lynn returned and informed Martha Paine and Bart Sloan that there would be no school at Jacksboro that day because of a school facilities problem. Bart said, “Good! Calvin, you and Lynn get the team harnessed and start turning that field on the udder side of the farm. By this time, Sillus has got enough of the land grubbed to keep you plowing for several days.” Calvin and Lynn obediently harnessed the mules and left for the field, hauling the turning plow in a wagon. When they arrived at the field, they surveyed the situation, looking for the area that Sillus had grubbed. They made their way over the entire field, but to their surprise, they discovered that not one single sprout had been grubbed. Calvin said, “Lynn let’s leave the team here and go back to the house and get Pap.” In leaving the field, they found an area that was thick with sprouts next to a thicket. It was here that Sillus had hid his mattock. Hmmm.
As Calvin and Lynn approached the house, Bart came out on the porch and asked, “Is anything wrong boys? I wanted to get a good day of plowing in.” Calvin replied, “Pap, I think you should come over to the field, I want you to see for yourself.” Bart left for the field with Calvin and Lynn, inquiring all the way about what was wrong. Calvin kept saying, “You are going to have to see this for yourself.” Bart was eighty-four years of age, but he walked at a rapid rate, using a cane as he pressed forward. He was anxious, but he didn’t know why. The trio arrived at the field as Bart asked, “Where’s Sillus been grubbing?” Calvin replied, “That is what I’d like to know. I’ve been all over this field, and I can’t find where a single sprout has been grubbed. I’ll show you where he hid his mattock.” Calvin took Bart to the thicket where Sillus had hidden the mattock and pointed it out to Bart. Bart asked, “Where do you think Sillus is at?” Lynn, who had a wide grin because of the whole affair, remarked, “You know where he is. He’s been getting his mattock under the pretense that he’s coming here to grub, and after hiding it, he goes out and hangs around Virgil Watt’s house all day.” Bart instructed, “Let’s get in this bresh and bushes and wait for Sillus. He will be coming back adder a while when it gets close to dinner time. He can’t wait to get to a table and glut.”