The last we heard from Tom was when he was three years old and had wandered off from home and was found with his grandpa out in the field.
Not to long after that his grandpa had killed a hog and deer and his grandmother
fried up all the meat and put it in layers in lard tins as they called them. Then she poured hot grease over them and another layer of meat until it got to the top sealing it off.
This would keep all year and when they ate she would dig a piece out or whatever she wanted to fix with baked bread and gravy.
This is what they ate and had only a small icebox for milk and such. Ice came every day on a truck from Laredo, which was forty five miles away.
It was all dirt road back then, and they had a colored man name Ash that delivered everyday except Sunday.
His grandmother was frying meat one day and his Uncle came in looking for Tom to go with him as he was still single at the time and would steal him from his momma so she would worry.
Anyway, he hollered out laughing and called Tom's grandmother and momma to come in the other room and watch what Tom was doing to his little sister.
She was a small baby less than a year and Tom would run to the flour tin and get a hand full of flour and run in and throw it in his sisters face. She would spit and sputter and Tom would laugh at her.
Aw, mercy his momma had a fit and uncle grabbed him up and ran laughing his head off.
Well he came back with Tom and his grandmother said she would keep him with her and out of mischief.
She was baking home made buns and they smelled so good. It was an old wood stove that she was baking on and she had the door open and Tom reached his hand into get himself one of the buns while she wasn't looking and he burn't the back of his hand .
Lands, he got lard smeared all over it and it did keep him out of meaness for a couple days.
Of course his grandma did a bunch of praying for him too.
Tom had a scar on his hand but it is all gone now but he had it as a reminder for forty years.
Mercy sakes, I don't believe Tom could ever stay out of trouble.
There is no telling what other mischief that boy was getting into but I'm sure I will be hearing about
it soon.
