Some Observations from the Hill
by Hub Brown

 Some time ago, someone sent me part of a newspaper that contained a story about the movie theater in Tunkhannock, Pa. Seems attendance had fallen to so few that Mr. Detrich had decided that he would have to close the place. When he announced this to the public certain former customers of his thought what a loss this would be. So they got together and reopened the theater. Now they run the kind of films that they want.

 I remember one night I had gone to the movies and before I found a seat a man asked me if I wanted to make a quarter. At that time and in that town, a quarter was not easily come by, so I said "Yes." 

 So, he led me back to the projection booth which was made of asbestos with little dots of metal all over it. Back then, there had to be two people in the projection booth for someone had to turn a crank by hand. We climbed up a few steps into the booth and he started turning the crank. After a bit, hd had me take hold of the crank but he kept his hand on top of mine til he thought I had learned the right speed. Then he said, "I'm going to let go, keep right on at this speed," and he went over and did something to get the next roll of film ready. Of course, I was watching the movie and when the cowboys were chasing the Indians, I think I may have speeded up just a little, but no one seemed to mind. Just how he changed over to the next roll of film I don't really remember for this was a one-time experience for me, so I missed some of the details.

 On the street where we lived, someone had planted some willow trees and over the years some of those hair sized roots had found tiny opening and once those roots got into those sewer lines they grew until they would fill the pipes completely. When the sewer men started fixing the sewers, they would cut those willow trees and to get rid of them, they asked Dad if he wanted them. With seven kids to take care of, he would burn anything, so he had them hauled in on the garden.
 World War I was going on and as labor was scarce, our oldest brother, though he was only 14, he was big for his age, he was hired for water boy but the boss, if he needed another man, would put Jady in. After a time he became acquainted with two sons of a railroad official and they began showing up with some strange objects. I remember he had an arc light and a big hand held reflector. All the kids in the neighborhood would show up at night and we would play war games. Jady worked the spot light and if he could tell who you were, you had to come in and sit down, you were a prisoner and out of the game. They would skulk around in those tree limbs and try to keep from being identified.

 I remember some other things about those times, too. In place of butter, we had to use oleomargarine. It was white and you got some little capsules of coloring which you had to prick with a pin, squirt the coloring on the oleo, and then work the coloring in. To get sugar, you had to buy a big amount of cereal. Dad would nail two boards on the sides of a wooden box and we'd carry your groceries home that way.