By Arloa Marsh – Lanigan, Sask.
We were very lucky to have a library in our town growing up during the Depression in the 1930s. My brother and I loved to read. We’d go to the library every week and read whenever we got time after chores and school homework was done.
Our taste in reading material wasn’t the same. He liked adventure stories about dogs and other animals. His favourite authors were Joel London and James Oliver Curwood, who wrote about adventures in the north. My favourite author was Zane Grey, who wrote westerns like Wild Horse Mesa and many others.
Thinking about it had me remembering the time my brother got the measles and was supposed to be in quarantine. At the time, we lived in a small one-bedroom house. However it was done, I can’t recall, but mom and dad moved out so my brother could be in isolation.
I felt sorry for him having to be alone, so when I came home from school I’d read to him. I wasn’t the best reader and it must have been painful for him to listen, but I believe he enjoyed the company anyway. Needless to say, we all got the measles. I was glad when he got out of isolation, because I was doing his share of the chores!
We still have a library in our town. It has moved many times and though I don’t go there anymore for books, I am glad it is there for others. My brother is no longer living, but I still cherish the happy days we spent together with our book friends.
