Thanks for you guys, especially John Ramsay, Leszek L., Einde O'Callaghan
around news groups, I had translated an english nevel to ours, and tossed to
a publisher.

Again, I started a rather short novel (same author), and I got a some
headache sentences.
Background is London, 1914.

A newspaper named 'Mail' have their own column knowned as 'agony column'.
About that column the writer tells like this,

---------
Tragedy and comedy mingle in the Agony Column.  Erring ones are
urged to return for forgiveness; unwelcome suitors are warned that
"Father has warrant prepared; fly, Dearest One!"  Loves that would
shame by their ardor Abelard and Heloise are frankly published--at
ten cents a word--for all the town to smile at.  The gentleman in
the brown derby states with fervor that the blonde governess who
got off the tram at Shepherd's Bush has quite won his heart.  Will
she permit his addresses?   Answer; this department.  For three
weeks West had found this sort of thing delicious reading.  Best of
all, he could detect in these messages nothing that was not open
and innocent.  At their worst they were merely an effort to
side-step old Lady Convention; this inclination was so rare in
the British, he felt it should be encouraged.  Besides, he was
inordinately fond of mystery and romance, and these engaging twins
hovered always about that column.

---------
From 'Best of all, he could...' to 'old Lady Convention', I coundn't figure
out what it means. 'old Lady Convention'? What on earth!

And one request of the column as...

---
WATERLOO: Wed.  11:53 train.  Lady who left in taxi and waved,
care to know gent, gray coat? --SINCERE.

---
What a short, quite abrupt sentence... I can understand some rather
dignified request, but this seems to me too short, and ungrammatical one.

If you help me again, I will very appriciate you guys.

Donghoon...

Han Donghoon wrote:

> Best of
> all, he could detect in these messages nothing that was not open
> and innocent.  At their worst they were merely an effort to
> side-step old Lady Convention; 

  ---------
> From 'Best of all, he could...' to 'old Lady Convention', I coundn't figure
> out what it means. 'old Lady Convention'? What on earth!
> 

You really need to research the social atmosphere of Britain in the 
period before the First World War. For most people- all but the very 
poor, the very rich, and those with the means to support a "Bohemian" 
lifestyle- respectability was crucially important. West is pleased that 
the messages did not offend against public mores. He is also pleased 
that some messages attempted to short- circuit some of the rules, such 
as the convention requiring that a man must not communicate with a lady 
unless they have been formally introduced.

West would appear to be American- "published--at ten cents a word". 
Remember that the British currency was then pounds, shillings and pence.

> 
> ---
> WATERLOO: Wed.  11:53 train.  Lady who left in taxi and waved,
> care to know gent, gray coat? --SINCERE.
> 
> ---
> What a short, quite abrupt sentence... I can understand some rather
> dignified request, but this seems to me too short, and ungrammatical one.
> 


Again "ten cents a word" is the important phrase. Look up 
"telegraphese", which is governed by the same cost constraints. The 
sentence would possibly be rendered into English as "Would the lady who 
left the 11:53 train at Waterloo on Wednesday, and waved*, care to be 
formally acquainted with the gentleman who was wearing the greay coat?" 
(Again the pelling "gray" identifies West as an American.) SINCERE is 
the gent's pseudonym.

Paul Burke

* Almost certainly NOT to the gent in the grey coat.

Han Donghoon wrote:

> A newspaper named 'Mail' have their own column knowned as 'agony
> column'. About that column the writer tells like this,
>
> ---------
> Tragedy and comedy mingle in the Agony Column.  Erring ones are
> urged to return for forgiveness; unwelcome suitors are warned that
> "Father has warrant prepared; fly, Dearest One!"  Loves that would
> shame by their ardor Abelard and Heloise are frankly published--at
> ten cents a word--for all the town to smile at.  The gentleman in
> the brown derby states with fervor that the blonde governess who
> got off the tram at Shepherd's Bush has quite won his heart.  Will
> she permit his addresses?   Answer; this department.  For three
> weeks West had found this sort of thing delicious reading.  Best of
> all, he could detect in these messages nothing that was not open
> and innocent.  At their worst they were merely an effort to
> side-step old Lady Convention; this inclination was so rare in
> the British, he felt it should be encouraged.  Besides, he was
> inordinately fond of mystery and romance, and these engaging twins
> hovered always about that column.

Is this actually an English novel or an American one?  There's lots of 
internal evidence that it's  left-pondian.

> ---------
> From 'Best of all, he could...' to 'old Lady Convention', I coundn't
> figure out what it means. 'old Lady Convention'? What on earth!

"'Old Lady Covention" is a personification of the accepted beahavrioural 
norms.  What "he" is saying is that the entries in the column seem to him to 
be very natural and not confined to the conventional modes and customs.

>
> And one request of the column as...
>
> ---
> WATERLOO: Wed.  11:53 train.  Lady who left in taxi and waved,
> care to know gent, gray coat? --SINCERE.
>
> ---
> What a short, quite abrupt sentence... I can understand some rather
> dignified request, but this seems to me too short, and ungrammatical
> one.

Remember that people who submot entries to the column are reported as paying 
ten cents a word,  hence the abrupt phrasing.


-- 
Mike Stevens
narrowboat Felis Catus III
web-site www.mike-stevens.co.uk

Defend the waterways.
Visit the web site www.saveourwaterways.org.uk

Han Donghoon schrieb:
As others have commented the novel seems to have been written by an 
American, which wo09uld fit if it's the same author as the last novel.

> WATERLOO: Wed.  11:53 train.  Lady who left in taxi and waved,
> care to know gent, gray coat? --SINCERE.
> 
> ---
> What a short, quite abrupt sentence... I can understand some rather
> dignified request, but this seems to me too short, and ungrammatical one.
> 
The syntax looks like that of a small ad, in this case a contact ad, 
rather like those found in some papers even today where people try to 
find a partner.

In this case it is an appeal to a lady who arrived in Waterloo Station 
on the 11:53 train and got into a taxi. Apparently she waved at the the 
man who placed the ad. He was wearing a "gray" coat (this spelling is a 
clear sign that the book is of American origin - in British English the 
spelling is "grey"). He wishes to know if she would like to contact him. 
He emphasises that he is genuinely interested in getting to know her and 
that he has no improper intentions, e.g. sex before marriage, which at 
that time was morally unacceptable.

Regards, Einde O'Callaghan

Paul Burke wrote:
> Han Donghoon wrote:
>
>> Best of
>> all, he could detect in these messages nothing that was not open
>> and innocent.  At their worst they were merely an effort to
>> side-step old Lady Convention;
>
>  ---------
>> From 'Best of all, he could...' to 'old Lady Convention', I coundn't
>> figure out what it means. 'old Lady Convention'? What on earth!
>>
>
> You really need to research the social atmosphere of Britain in the
> period before the First World War. For most people- all but the very
> poor, the very rich, and those with the means to support a "Bohemian"
> lifestyle- respectability was crucially important. West is pleased
> that the messages did not offend against public mores. He is also
> pleased that some messages attempted to short- circuit some of the
> rules, such as the convention requiring that a man must not
> communicate with a lady unless they have been formally introduced.
>
> West would appear to be American- "published--at ten cents a word".
> Remember that the British currency was then pounds, shillings and
> pence.
>>
>> ---
>> WATERLOO: Wed.  11:53 train.  Lady who left in taxi and waved,
>> care to know gent, gray coat? --SINCERE.
>>
>> ---
>> What a short, quite abrupt sentence... I can understand some rather
>> dignified request, but this seems to me too short, and ungrammatical
>> one.
>
>
> Again "ten cents a word" is the important phrase. Look up
> "telegraphese", which is governed by the same cost constraints. The
> sentence would possibly be rendered into English as "Would the lady
> who left the 11:53 train at Waterloo on Wednesday, and waved*, care
> to be formally acquainted with the gentleman who was wearing the
> greay coat?" (Again the pelling "gray" identifies West as an
> American.) SINCERE is the gent's pseudonym.


No, it identifies the author (or more likely the publisher) as American. 
Note "brown derby" - would you wear a brown bowler?
-- 
John Briggs

Han Donghoon wrote:

> Best of
> all, he could detect in these messages nothing that was not open
> and innocent.  At their worst they were merely an effort to
> side-step old Lady Convention; 

  ---------
> From 'Best of all, he could...' to 'old Lady Convention', I coundn't figure
> out what it means. 'old Lady Convention'? What on earth!
> 

You really need to research the social atmosphere of Britain in the 
period before the First World War. For most people- all but the very 
poor, the very rich, and those with the means to support a "Bohemian" 
lifestyle- respectability was crucially important. West is pleased that 
the messages did not offend against public mores. He is also pleased 
that some messages attempted to short- circuit some of the rules, such 
as the convention requiring that a man must not communicate with a lady 
unless they have been formally introduced.

West would appear to be American- "published--at ten cents a word". 
Remember that the British currency was then pounds, shillings and pence.

> 
> ---
> WATERLOO: Wed.  11:53 train.  Lady who left in taxi and waved,
> care to know gent, gray coat? --SINCERE.
> 
> ---
> What a short, quite abrupt sentence... I can understand some rather
> dignified request, but this seems to me too short, and ungrammatical one.
> 


Again "ten cents a word" is the important phrase. Look up 
"telegraphese", which is governed by the same cost constraints. The 
sentence would possibly be rendered into English as "Would the lady who 
left the 11:53 train at Waterloo on Wednesday, and waved*, care to be 
formally acquainted with the gentleman who was wearing the greay coat?" 
(Again the pelling "gray" identifies West as an American.) SINCERE is 
the gent's pseudonym.

Paul Burke

* Almost certainly NOT to the gent in the grey coat.

Han Donghoon wrote:

> A newspaper named 'Mail' have their own column knowned as 'agony
> column'. About that column the writer tells like this,
>
> ---------
> Tragedy and comedy mingle in the Agony Column.  Erring ones are
> urged to return for forgiveness; unwelcome suitors are warned that
> "Father has warrant prepared; fly, Dearest One!"  Loves that would
> shame by their ardor Abelard and Heloise are frankly published--at
> ten cents a word--for all the town to smile at.  The gentleman in
> the brown derby states with fervor that the blonde governess who
> got off the tram at Shepherd's Bush has quite won his heart.  Will
> she permit his addresses?   Answer; this department.  For three
> weeks West had found this sort of thing delicious reading.  Best of
> all, he could detect in these messages nothing that was not open
> and innocent.  At their worst they were merely an effort to
> side-step old Lady Convention; this inclination was so rare in
> the British, he felt it should be encouraged.  Besides, he was
> inordinately fond of mystery and romance, and these engaging twins
> hovered always about that column.

Is this actually an English novel or an American one?  There's lots of 
internal evidence that it's  left-pondian.

> ---------
> From 'Best of all, he could...' to 'old Lady Convention', I coundn't
> figure out what it means. 'old Lady Convention'? What on earth!

"'Old Lady Covention" is a personification of the accepted beahavrioural 
norms.  What "he" is saying is that the entries in the column seem to him to 
be very natural and not confined to the conventional modes and customs.

>
> And one request of the column as...
>
> ---
> WATERLOO: Wed.  11:53 train.  Lady who left in taxi and waved,
> care to know gent, gray coat? --SINCERE.
>
> ---
> What a short, quite abrupt sentence... I can understand some rather
> dignified request, but this seems to me too short, and ungrammatical
> one.

Remember that people who submot entries to the column are reported as paying 
ten cents a word,  hence the abrupt phrasing.


-- 
Mike Stevens
narrowboat Felis Catus III
web-site www.mike-stevens.co.uk

Defend the waterways.
Visit the web site www.saveourwaterways.org.uk

Han Donghoon schrieb:
As others have commented the novel seems to have been written by an 
American, which wo09uld fit if it's the same author as the last novel.

> WATERLOO: Wed.  11:53 train.  Lady who left in taxi and waved,
> care to know gent, gray coat? --SINCERE.
> 
> ---
> What a short, quite abrupt sentence... I can understand some rather
> dignified request, but this seems to me too short, and ungrammatical one.
> 
The syntax looks like that of a small ad, in this case a contact ad, 
rather like those found in some papers even today where people try to 
find a partner.

In this case it is an appeal to a lady who arrived in Waterloo Station 
on the 11:53 train and got into a taxi. Apparently she waved at the the 
man who placed the ad. He was wearing a "gray" coat (this spelling is a 
clear sign that the book is of American origin - in British English the 
spelling is "grey"). He wishes to know if she would like to contact him. 
He emphasises that he is genuinely interested in getting to know her and 
that he has no improper intentions, e.g. sex before marriage, which at 
that time was morally unacceptable.

Regards, Einde O'Callaghan

Paul Burke wrote:
> Han Donghoon wrote:
>
>> Best of
>> all, he could detect in these messages nothing that was not open
>> and innocent.  At their worst they were merely an effort to
>> side-step old Lady Convention;
>
>  ---------
>> From 'Best of all, he could...' to 'old Lady Convention', I coundn't
>> figure out what it means. 'old Lady Convention'? What on earth!
>>
>
> You really need to research the social atmosphere of Britain in the
> period before the First World War. For most people- all but the very
> poor, the very rich, and those with the means to support a "Bohemian"
> lifestyle- respectability was crucially important. West is pleased
> that the messages did not offend against public mores. He is also
> pleased that some messages attempted to short- circuit some of the
> rules, such as the convention requiring that a man must not
> communicate with a lady unless they have been formally introduced.
>
> West would appear to be American- "published--at ten cents a word".
> Remember that the British currency was then pounds, shillings and
> pence.
>>
>> ---
>> WATERLOO: Wed.  11:53 train.  Lady who left in taxi and waved,
>> care to know gent, gray coat? --SINCERE.
>>
>> ---
>> What a short, quite abrupt sentence... I can understand some rather
>> dignified request, but this seems to me too short, and ungrammatical
>> one.
>
>
> Again "ten cents a word" is the important phrase. Look up
> "telegraphese", which is governed by the same cost constraints. The
> sentence would possibly be rendered into English as "Would the lady
> who left the 11:53 train at Waterloo on Wednesday, and waved*, care
> to be formally acquainted with the gentleman who was wearing the
> greay coat?" (Again the pelling "gray" identifies West as an
> American.) SINCERE is the gent's pseudonym.


No, it identifies the author (or more likely the publisher) as American. 
Note "brown derby" - would you wear a brown bowler?
-- 
John Briggs

Han Donghoon wrote:

> Best of
> all, he could detect in these messages nothing that was not open
> and innocent.  At their worst they were merely an effort to
> side-step old Lady Convention; 

  ---------
> From 'Best of all, he could...' to 'old Lady Convention', I coundn't figure
> out what it means. 'old Lady Convention'? What on earth!
> 

You really need to research the social atmosphere of Britain in the 
period before the First World War. For most people- all but the very 
poor, the very rich, and those with the means to support a "Bohemian" 
lifestyle- respectability was crucially important. West is pleased that 
the messages did not offend against public mores. He is also pleased 
that some messages attempted to short- circuit some of the rules, such 
as the convention requiring that a man must not communicate with a lady 
unless they have been formally introduced.

West would appear to be American- "published--at ten cents a word". 
Remember that the British currency was then pounds, shillings and pence.

> 
> ---
> WATERLOO: Wed.  11:53 train.  Lady who left in taxi and waved,
> care to know gent, gray coat? --SINCERE.
> 
> ---
> What a short, quite abrupt sentence... I can understand some rather
> dignified request, but this seems to me too short, and ungrammatical one.
> 


Again "ten cents a word" is the important phrase. Look up 
"telegraphese", which is governed by the same cost constraints. The 
sentence would possibly be rendered into English as "Would the lady who 
left the 11:53 train at Waterloo on Wednesday, and waved*, care to be 
formally acquainted with the gentleman who was wearing the greay coat?" 
(Again the pelling "gray" identifies West as an American.) SINCERE is 
the gent's pseudonym.

Paul Burke

* Almost certainly NOT to the gent in the grey coat.

Han Donghoon wrote:

> A newspaper named 'Mail' have their own column knowned as 'agony
> column'. About that column the writer tells like this,
>
> ---------
> Tragedy and comedy mingle in the Agony Column.  Erring ones are
> urged to return for forgiveness; unwelcome suitors are warned that
> "Father has warrant prepared; fly, Dearest One!"  Loves that would
> shame by their ardor Abelard and Heloise are frankly published--at
> ten cents a word--for all the town to smile at.  The gentleman in
> the brown derby states with fervor that the blonde governess who
> got off the tram at Shepherd's Bush has quite won his heart.  Will
> she permit his addresses?   Answer; this department.  For three
> weeks West had found this sort of thing delicious reading.  Best of
> all, he could detect in these messages nothing that was not open
> and innocent.  At their worst they were merely an effort to
> side-step old Lady Convention; this inclination was so rare in
> the British, he felt it should be encouraged.  Besides, he was
> inordinately fond of mystery and romance, and these engaging twins
> hovered always about that column.

Is this actually an English novel or an American one?  There's lots of 
internal evidence that it's  left-pondian.

> ---------
> From 'Best of all, he could...' to 'old Lady Convention', I coundn't
> figure out what it means. 'old Lady Convention'? What on earth!

"'Old Lady Covention" is a personification of the accepted beahavrioural 
norms.  What "he" is saying is that the entries in the column seem to him to 
be very natural and not confined to the conventional modes and customs.

>
> And one request of the column as...
>
> ---
> WATERLOO: Wed.  11:53 train.  Lady who left in taxi and waved,
> care to know gent, gray coat? --SINCERE.
>
> ---
> What a short, quite abrupt sentence... I can understand some rather
> dignified request, but this seems to me too short, and ungrammatical
> one.

Remember that people who submot entries to the column are reported as paying 
ten cents a word,  hence the abrupt phrasing.


-- 
Mike Stevens
narrowboat Felis Catus III
web-site www.mike-stevens.co.uk

Defend the waterways.
Visit the web site www.saveourwaterways.org.uk

Han Donghoon schrieb:
As others have commented the novel seems to have been written by an 
American, which wo09uld fit if it's the same author as the last novel.

> WATERLOO: Wed.  11:53 train.  Lady who left in taxi and waved,
> care to know gent, gray coat? --SINCERE.
> 
> ---
> What a short, quite abrupt sentence... I can understand some rather
> dignified request, but this seems to me too short, and ungrammatical one.
> 
The syntax looks like that of a small ad, in this case a contact ad, 
rather like those found in some papers even today where people try to 
find a partner.

In this case it is an appeal to a lady who arrived in Waterloo Station 
on the 11:53 train and got into a taxi. Apparently she waved at the the 
man who placed the ad. He was wearing a "gray" coat (this spelling is a 
clear sign that the book is of American origin - in British English the 
spelling is "grey"). He wishes to know if she would like to contact him. 
He emphasises that he is genuinely interested in getting to know her and 
that he has no improper intentions, e.g. sex before marriage, which at 
that time was morally unacceptable.

Regards, Einde O'Callaghan

Paul Burke wrote:
> Han Donghoon wrote:
>
>> Best of
>> all, he could detect in these messages nothing that was not open
>> and innocent.  At their worst they were merely an effort to
>> side-step old Lady Convention;
>
>  ---------
>> From 'Best of all, he could...' to 'old Lady Convention', I coundn't
>> figure out what it means. 'old Lady Convention'? What on earth!
>>
>
> You really need to research the social atmosphere of Britain in the
> period before the First World War. For most people- all but the very
> poor, the very rich, and those with the means to support a "Bohemian"
> lifestyle- respectability was crucially important. West is pleased
> that the messages did not offend against public mores. He is also
> pleased that some messages attempted to short- circuit some of the
> rules, such as the convention requiring that a man must not
> communicate with a lady unless they have been formally introduced.
>
> West would appear to be American- "published--at ten cents a word".
> Remember that the British currency was then pounds, shillings and
> pence.
>>
>> ---
>> WATERLOO: Wed.  11:53 train.  Lady who left in taxi and waved,
>> care to know gent, gray coat? --SINCERE.
>>
>> ---
>> What a short, quite abrupt sentence... I can understand some rather
>> dignified request, but this seems to me too short, and ungrammatical
>> one.
>
>
> Again "ten cents a word" is the important phrase. Look up
> "telegraphese", which is governed by the same cost constraints. The
> sentence would possibly be rendered into English as "Would the lady
> who left the 11:53 train at Waterloo on Wednesday, and waved*, care
> to be formally acquainted with the gentleman who was wearing the
> greay coat?" (Again the pelling "gray" identifies West as an
> American.) SINCERE is the gent's pseudonym.


No, it identifies the author (or more likely the publisher) as American. 
Note "brown derby" - would you wear a brown bowler?
-- 
John Briggs

Yes, as Einde wrote, the author is an American (the creator of Chinese
detective Chalie Chan) and this rather short novel titled 'The Agony Column'
was published in 1916...three years later his first novel which I had
traslated.

It's quite interesting detective novel which also have some romance, wit and
humor.
You can read the novel through

http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/1814
http://www.archive.org/details/agonycolumn00biggrich

Yes, the man in the book is also American.
I guess there are some delicate things which can be understood between
almost only (English) native speakers, like 'gray--grey', etc.

Here's summary of the novel--

The story begins in a rather light-hearted way with an American visiting
London and being quite taken by an American girl he sees breakfasting with
her father at a London Hotel. Since arriving in London he has been
fascinated by The Agony Column. He has seen numerous ads placed by persons
who saw someone that interested them in passing and requested a meeting.
Wondering what he has to loss, he places an ad to the girl he saw at
breakfast.

After a few days she replies that, since she is interested in mystery and
romance, he may write her one letter every day for a week.

When he sees her reply he thinks to himself: "We must have mystery and
romance. But where - where shall we find them?"
(from gutenberg.org)

Thanks a lot,

Han Donghoon


"Han Donghoon"  wrote in message
news:f57tjm$g1g$1@tnews.hananet.net...
> Thanks for you guys, especially John Ramsay, Leszek L., Einde O'Callaghan
> around news groups, I had translated an english nevel to ours, and tossed
to
> a publisher.
>
> Again, I started a rather short novel (same author), and I got a some
> headache sentences.
> Background is London, 1914.
>
> A newspaper named 'Mail' have their own column knowned as 'agony column'.
> About that column the writer tells like this,
>
> ---------
> Tragedy and comedy mingle in the Agony Column.  Erring ones are
> urged to return for forgiveness; unwelcome suitors are warned that
> "Father has warrant prepared; fly, Dearest One!"  Loves that would
> shame by their ardor Abelard and Heloise are frankly published--at
> ten cents a word--for all the town to smile at.  The gentleman in
> the brown derby states with fervor that the blonde governess who
> got off the tram at Shepherd's Bush has quite won his heart.  Will
> she permit his addresses?   Answer; this department.  For three
> weeks West had found this sort of thing delicious reading.  Best of
> all, he could detect in these messages nothing that was not open
> and innocent.  At their worst they were merely an effort to
> side-step old Lady Convention; this inclination was so rare in
> the British, he felt it should be encouraged.  Besides, he was
> inordinately fond of mystery and romance, and these engaging twins
> hovered always about that column.
>
> ---------
> From 'Best of all, he could...' to 'old Lady Convention', I coundn't
figure
> out what it means. 'old Lady Convention'? What on earth!
>
> And one request of the column as...
>
> ---
> WATERLOO: Wed.  11:53 train.  Lady who left in taxi and waved,
> care to know gent, gray coat? --SINCERE.
>
> ---
> What a short, quite abrupt sentence... I can understand some rather
> dignified request, but this seems to me too short, and ungrammatical one.
>
> If you help me again, I will very appriciate you guys.
>
> Donghoon...
>
>

At 10:00:24 on Tue, 19 Jun 2007, Einde O'Callaghan 
 wrote in 
:

>He was wearing a "gray" coat (this spelling is a clear sign that the 
>book is of American origin - in British English the spelling is "grey").

In English English, it is "grey".  In Scots, it is "gray".  (I do, 
however, concur that this particular piece of writing bears all the 
signs of US English.)
-- 
Molly Mockford
They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety
deserve neither liberty nor safety - Benjamin Franklin
(My Reply-To address *is* valid, though may not remain so for ever.)