"War, translation of anti-war pamphlet, peace, Alice Corthorn" Read the full letter
| Letter Reference | Olive Schreiner BC16/Box5/Fold1/1912/20 |
| Archive | University of Cape Town, Manuscripts & Archives, Cape Town |
| Epistolary Type | Letter |
| Letter Date | Friday 31 May 1912 |
| Address From | De Aar, Northern Cape |
| Address To | Chambers, St Georges Street, Cape Town, Western Cape |
| Who To | William Philip ('Will') Schreiner |
| Other Versions | |
| Permissions | Please read before using or citing this transcription |
| Legend |
The Project is grateful to Manuscripts and Archives, University of Cape Town, for kindly allowing us to transcribe this Olive Schreiner letter, which is part of its Manuscripts and Archives Collections. The date has been written on this letter in an unknown hand. The address the letter was sent to is provided by an attached envelope from which the stamp and postmark have been removed. Schreiner was resident in De Aar from November 1907 until she left South Africa for Britain and Europe in December 1913, with some fairly lengthy visits elsewhere over this time.
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1
Friday
2
3 Dear old Man
4
5 I think from Wynnie’s last letter the end must be very near Wire to
6me when you have any news. Will you if it be possible do something for
7me. Find out from ?Musket or the but on no account must he ask her,
8whether he can tell whether the thought would be beautiful to her that
9I should come down, to see the beloved tired body put to rest. If he
10thinks or can find out for me if the thought is sweet to her that
11those she loved & who loved her should follow her, please if there
12should be the end soon, wire me £10 & I will come down. You must not
13say you will give it me. I will return it on the 2nd of August when I
14have some money coming. But just now I am quite out. I had to borrow
15£10 from Cron to bring me back from Cape Town & for all expenses here,
16 & would rather you advanced me this. I would come down now to see her
17once more for I feel from Wynnie’s letter the end is now near –
18but in the condition I am now if I went out to Blauwberg I should only
19be another one on the hands of my friends. I have never been the same
20since that last visit I paid to Blauwberg. It is a deadly place to me.
21I think of it with a horror I have never felt to any other place on
22earth except board-ship. I suppose it is because the climate
23conditions that try me so much the same. Cron returns tomorrow night.
24I hope he has seen you.
25
26 Your little sister
27 Olive
28
29 ^Coming to Cape Town for two days would not do me any harm. I fancy our
30darling would like those she loved to follow her.^
31
32
33
2
3 Dear old Man
4
5 I think from Wynnie’s last letter the end must be very near Wire to
6me when you have any news. Will you if it be possible do something for
7me. Find out from ?Musket or the but on no account must he ask her,
8whether he can tell whether the thought would be beautiful to her that
9I should come down, to see the beloved tired body put to rest. If he
10thinks or can find out for me if the thought is sweet to her that
11those she loved & who loved her should follow her, please if there
12should be the end soon, wire me £10 & I will come down. You must not
13say you will give it me. I will return it on the 2nd of August when I
14have some money coming. But just now I am quite out. I had to borrow
15£10 from Cron to bring me back from Cape Town & for all expenses here,
16 & would rather you advanced me this. I would come down now to see her
17once more for I feel from Wynnie’s letter the end is now near –
18but in the condition I am now if I went out to Blauwberg I should only
19be another one on the hands of my friends. I have never been the same
20since that last visit I paid to Blauwberg. It is a deadly place to me.
21I think of it with a horror I have never felt to any other place on
22earth except board-ship. I suppose it is because the climate
23conditions that try me so much the same. Cron returns tomorrow night.
24I hope he has seen you.
25
26 Your little sister
27 Olive
28
29 ^Coming to Cape Town for two days would not do me any harm. I fancy our
30darling would like those she loved to follow her.^
31
32
33