How did T.J. get out of his punishment in the first chapter of Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry?

As usual, T. J. Avery lied and blamed someone else for his
own misbehavior in Chapter 1 of Mildred D. Taylor's novel, Roll of Thunder,
Hear My Cry. T. J. had disobeyed his mother's instructions and had visited
the Wallace General Store "dancin' room." Cassie's mother told T. J.'s mother about it,
and T. J. knew he would "get whipped" when he got home. But T. J. had a plan: He blamed
his younger brother, Claude, claiming that Claude sneaked up to the store to get some
free candy. T. J.'s mother believed his story, and instead of being punished, T. J.'s
mother " 'bout wore him (Claude) out." Claude didn't squeal on his brother, because he
was more afraid of T. J. than he was of his mother.