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Grandpa Jesse would often tell stories to his grandchildren (and others). Sometimes they were true, sometimes fictional, and sometimes meant as a piece of humor. We weren't always sure which he was telling at any given time. My cousin Ed recently related to me one story that he recalls being told by Grandpa. You can decide to which category this story belongs.
There was this prison at which one of the workers would often leave work with a wheelbarrow of sawdust. As the worker wheeled it by the guards, they, of course, wanted to inspect the sawdust to see if contraband was being exported or something was being stolen from inside. After sifting through the sawdust, they soon realized that it was just that: sawdust. This happened often, several times a week, sometimes. Each time, the guards would check the sawdust, but they never found anything. The guards were, however, always curious what was going on, and the man never let on. After some time, the worker quit his job, and this practice stopped. When one of the guards bumped into the worker in town after the worker had quit his employment, he asked him about the situation. “I know that it was always just sawdust in the wheelbarrow, but I also knew you were up to something. So what's the story?”. The worker replied, “The sawdust was just a cover for what I was really taking out: a wheelbarrow.”
Do you know of a family story from which others can benefit? Share it with me and I will add it.
Published 2021-02-02. Revised 2025-07-05.
If you find any error(s) in the text, please let me know. Thanks. Contact me with errors or comments using hibbardac@gmail. [Back to the top] [About the author, Al]
I know which way to golisting of family stories by me Another Prison Story From Grandpa