What the Multitude Said
WAS living with a very happy and very large family. The little nine-year-old was a real "hard case." He, like many youngsters, picked up all the slang words he heard during the day and would come out with them at most awkward moments. I per-
suaded him to try counting instead of swearing. If at the end of the count he still couldn’t control his feelings, then he might say " Bust it." I promised to do the same just to keep him company. My tuition was a great success. This "Bust it" became quite a household word. Then came Easter Sunday when we all went to church. For a youngster he was very well behaved, even more so as he was suffering from a heavy cold. The clergyman would emphasise his point with a dramatic pause. During those silent pauses one could have heard a pin drop, if it hadn’t been for the vigorous sniffling of our young friend. The climax came when Pa and Ma both nudged him
vigorously, at the exact moment when the parson said "And what did the multitude say? Yes! What did the multitude say?" As if the scene had been carefully rehearsed, a piping voice replied in anger, " Oh, bust it.".-(Major F. H. Lampen, " Just Tense Moments," 2YA, August 14.)
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/periodicals/NZLIST19410829.2.9.4
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New Zealand Listener, Volume 5, Issue 114, 29 August 1941, Page 5
Word count
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220What the Multitude Said New Zealand Listener, Volume 5, Issue 114, 29 August 1941, Page 5
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