Shorthand

Might you not have found him a little
exhausting, though? If, for example,
you were his mother, not given

to innovative thinking yourself,
and had this youth (in 1920
the word teenager was not current),

forever coming up with a new
interpretation of Genesis
or sketching plans for a contraption

that must be at least electrical,
if not dangerous. And now this:
a small ad in the Auckland Star –

SHORTHAND in three hours. New system,
easily learned. Send 5/- for
course. C. Adcock, Te Rau-a-moa.

That was in June; but on reflection
three hours may have struck him as less than
five shillings’ worth. So in December:

SHORTHAND in three days. Write C. Adcock
regarding the Veasy system…
Oh, yes, ha ha – Veasy: v. easy.

Did you make any money, Cyril?