Jan Harold Brunvand, "A Classification for Shaggy Dog Stories." Journal of American Folklore, vol. 76, no. 299 (January-March, 1963), 67.
D510. The Mysterious Letter in French. An American acquires a note written in French. He asks various people to read it for him and they attack him, fire him from his job, kick him out in the street, or otherwise show strong disapproval of the letter, without telling him what it contains. Finally, when he meets a sympathetic soul willing to translate it (or, when he has learned French himself), he finds that the ink has faded or wind blows the note into a fire or into the sea. He never learns the contents of the note.
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“A Matter of Text,” Suspense Comics #10, Continental Magazines, Winter 1945. No one will reveal to an American in Morocco what a note in Arabic says. Those who read it react in various ways, including suicide.
“Sour Note!” House of Mystery #179, National Periodical Publications, Inc., March-April 1969. A mysterious woman hands a man a note he can’t decipher. Everyone who is able to read it is outraged.
Eric Partridge, The 'Shaggy Dog' Story. Its Origin, Development and Nature (with a few examples). Freeport, NY: Books for Libraries Press, 1970 [London: Faber and Faber, 1953], pp. 37-43.
[A]t least as early as 1905 and current, with a wartime setting, there was a certain story told by those who tell stories, and believed by some (myself included) to be the spoken prototype of the 'shaggy dog'.
THE MYSTERIOUS NOTE
A young officer, being granted a short leave from the Flanders Front, decided to visit Paris. It was his first visit, and after finding a hotel, having a bath and a meal, he thought he would visit a theatre.
On reaching the theatre his attention was attracted to a large limousine that had stopped at the entrance, and out of which alighted a white-haired old gentleman and a ravishingly beautiful blonde. The young officer, completely bowled over by the fair vision, watched them ascend the marble staircase and, as he watched, noticed the young lady open her small handbag, and in getting out a diminutive handkerchief let small a small piece of paper. He very gallantly ran up the staircase, picked up the piece of paper, and then hurried into the foyer in an endeavour to catch up to the girl and her escort.
He was, of course, accosted by an attendant, to whom he explained what had occurred, and his wish to personally restore the paper to its owner. The attendant escorted him to the manager's office, and the manager, at once full of sympathy and understanding, took him into the theatre promenade, and allowed him to make a careful search for the young lady, but unfortunately he was unable to see any sign either of her or of the old gentleman.
After this fruitless search they returned to the manager's office, when the manger asked whether the piece of paper was of any importance, and the officer admitted that, whilst it appeared to be a short letter, he was unable to read French at all. The manger then offered to read the contents in order to see whether there was any clue of the lady's identity. The effect on the manager was electrifying, and he immediately handed it back to the officer, rang for an attendant, and ordered him to have the officer thrown out of the theatre at once. This was effected with some considerable violence, in view of his resistance, but he eventually landed on the broad of his back on the pavement.
Being thoroughly incensed at the treatment he had received, he tramped round the centre of Paris for some little while, and then returned to his hotel. The waiter at his hotel expressed surprise at his comparatively early return, and he thereupon unfolded his tale of woe to him. The waiter said that this was most extraordinary, and perhaps he could help: might he see the note? The note was handed over. It produced precisely the same effect upon the waiter, and he at once went away and returned with the manager, who, in handing back the note to the officer, informed him that he could not allow him in any circumstances to remain a moment longer in his hotel, and that he must remove himself and his belongings forthwith. He was quite unable to obtain any explanation of this high-handed treatment, or its cause, and was compelled to pack his bag and leave.
As his anticipated pleasure of his first visit to Paris had been so completely destroyed, he decided that, after all, he would go back home to London and spend the remainder of his leave there.
On reaching London the following day, he telephoned to his fiancée, and was invited by her parents to come out to Haslemere and spend his leave with them. After dinner that evening, sitting with his prospective father-in-law, he explained his original intention regarding the spending of his leave, and all that had occurred to make him change his plans. The father-in-law said that the whole matter appeared to be simply absurd, and he suggested that the young man go up his room and bring the note down to him, so that his own knowledge of the French language could perhaps solve the mystery. The young man brought the note down and gave it to his host. To his amazement exactly the same thing occurred, and the note was again handed back to him, and he was requested, not only to leave the house immediately, but also to give his word of honour that, before leaving, he would make no attempt whatever to see his fiancée, and, furthermore, that he would consider the engagement completely at an end and would not again approach her, as he was obviously not the sort of person with whom they wished to have further acquaintance.
He complied and sadly returned to London, feeling that his whole world had turned upside down. While trying to drown his sorrows in an hotel lounge, he suddenly remembered that an old friend of his was a lecturer in French in one of the colleges, and he telephoned him and asked whether he could give him a bed for the night. This request was readily granted and he travelled out to his friend's place. He then unburdened himself of all his troubles since leaving the Line. His friend listened very sympathetically, and, after hearing the whole story in detail, expressed his astonishment, but said that the matter could be very simply resolved, as he had a perfect knowledge of French, and couldn't possibly conceive that any note would cause any similar feelings to arise in him. On learning that the officer had the note with him in his luggage he asked him to go and get it. Some little while elapsed, and then the officer returned, looking very crestfallen indeed; on being asked the reason, he stated that unfortunately he had lost the note.
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C. K. Stillwagon, Rope Chokers: A Collection of Human Interest Stories, Anecdotes, Historical Fragments and Pictures of the Oil Fields (Houston: The Rein Company, 1955), 122-25. In B. A. Botkin, ed., A Treasury of American Anecdotes (New York: Random House, 1957), 275-7.
Richard Dorson, “Folklore at a Milwaukee Wedding,” Hoosier Folklore, vol. 6, no. 1, March 1947, 1-13, s.v. “Mysterious Note in French” (p. 10).
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