Help Please To Read My Rebus Letter

I think the round symbol could be one of these caps viewed from above. The are university doctor's or fellow's bonnets. Which would make the last word "fellow".

Terry

I am sure the inscription after the card is a "8" but can't think of ANYTHING that makes sense for the word.

I would think that the rest could be something like:

"...scribbling on a napkin." But napkins are not usually round.

Could the round thing be a whim (capstan).

You guys are better than those Bletchley Park codebreakers - they had machines to do half the work

You call upon me for a picture letter, but writing letters by signs and symbols is ...... as he cannot draw everything and has to make his letter conform to his pictures.



I wonder if Annie had this much trouble figuring it out LOL!

Hi Jenny,

With the most logical of the contributions from all I now make the whole thing......

Dear Annie:-

You call upon me for a picture letter, but writing letters by signs and symbols is
deuced rough on fellow, as he can't draw everything and has to make his letter
conform to his pictures. Besides, You are too big a lady to care for things of that
kind, or ought to be. If you are not I must try to please you, even if it makes me
go mad as it is pretty sure to do. You are improving in writing, but you ought to
be able to spread out your news more, so as to make your letters longer.

Whole thing makes sense now.

Terry

PS. Got a long way to go to match the Bletchley Park outfit. The girls on signals
could place the movements of particular German Divisions by the 'hand' of a known
Wehrmacht signaller on the morse key and the places the signals originated from. So
Helmut in the Afrika Korp signalling from Northern France placed that outfit's move
to there from North Africa. Sweet.

Just to further support some of the tougher interpretations, these definitions can be found online...

Butt = a very large container with curved sides that is used for collecting or storing liquids.

Deuced = Used for emphasis, especially to express disapproval or frustration: "I know it's deuced awkward for you".

"Fellow" fits, too, so you all have done some excellent detective work.

Sounds quite logical indeed (bravo!) but please explain "fellow"

"Fellow" fits so well that Terence's interpretation must be correct. The original writer's interest in art and education supports the idea that the "fellows hat" would be a familiar item to him, but not necessarily as obvious to us. Some of the language is archaic now, and what might have been obvious in an earlier time might not be so deuced easy to recognize today.

Hi Jenny,

"Fellow" is a university honour usually awarded to post graduates following a period of original research, which along with doctor bestows a gown and the distinctive cap, rather than a mortar board, on the holder. A fellow can also be an incorporated senior member of a university college, or a member of the governing body of some universities. The full fig is being worn by the happy bunch in the first snap, and can be seen in more detail in the second snap of Sir Ian McKellen, looking equally pleased.

Terry

Thanks so much everyone for your help on this. I have to admit though that I'm not 100% convinced of "fellow" - it's a bit obscure for my liking. I think the letter writer would have drawn a man (same as he did a lady) if this were his intent. He is very straight forward on all the other words, so I'm not sure he would have been so vague when referring to a man.

Hi Jenny,

Around the period of the letter indicated by the drawings "fellow" would have been in fairly common use, but whatever word the circular symbol indicates it has to relate to the writer ( he ) and "fellow" as a masculine pronoun is the only one I could think of that fits that condition, has a logical connection to the round image, and maintains the flow of the writing. I can't think of another word that satisfies those requirements, but remain open minded.

What fun, though.

Terry

WOW they had Pictionary back then. must have taken a year to play a game......

Had to say that

anyway nice letter. I love reading about others from over 100 years ago. how fun and I glad to see page 2 also to see how it ends...