Handwriting Issue

[maeeye]

Hello Board,
 I am hoping someone might be able to help me with a sentence in the attached item, I have tried and tried to work it out but just can't tell what it is.
The part where it says "I saw OBrien ? on the back verandah of the watch house.
It's the four words after OBrien that I can't make out,,,
Thank you for any help given.
Mae

[Alexander.]

I think O'Brien was "sitting on a form on the back verandah", a form being a bench.

Alexander

[maeeye]

Thank you Alexander, that makes perfect sense, esp as the time was 1923 and we still used many british expressions here......( I just googled "form")
Thank you so much.
Mae

[Alexander.]

No problem

[lasswade]

This is what I think it says:

'...I then looked at my watch it was 10.22..... following Lewis. I saw Obrien sitting on the form on the back verandah of the watch house. He was dressed in 'brown' 'plain' or 'cloth' trousers and striped.../.../...

The shirt sleeves were rolled up and the shirt was open in front. His elbows were on his knees and his face was in his hands.'

Words in brackets I'm not really sure about.

I'm not sure why the squarer brackets appear when I ask for italics - ../../../ means I can't work that word out.

I hope this helps.

[maeeye]

I had thought this might be close
"he was dressed in plain clothes, trousers and striped frill? neck silk shirt?........
The word "frill" bothers me I must admit...

[Maggie.]

Is it 'sitting' or 'supping'?

......... saw O'Brien supping on a form on the back verandah of the watch house ....

This is what I saw the first time I read it, now I'm not so sure.

Maggie

[sandra Bee]

Hi
I think it is .
striped fringi or fringy silk shirt
Sandra

[wivenhoe]

...high neck shirt....?

meaning, maybe, a shirt with a collar...dress shirt, not a collarless work shirt?