"Trying to help Will Schreiner politically; I want 'She wrote Peter Halket' on my grave; it's what it cost me" Read the full letter
Collection Summary | View All |  Arrange By:
< Prev |
Viewing Item
of 1895 | Next >
Letter ReferenceOlive Schreiner BC16/Box7/Fold2/Aug-Dec1919/44
ArchiveUniversity of Cape Town, Manuscripts & Archives, Cape Town
Epistolary TypeLetter
Letter Date12 December 1919
Address From9 Porchester Place, Edgware Road, Westminster, London
Address ToEastcliff, St James, Cape Town, Western Cape
Who ToFrances ('Fan') Schreiner nee Reitz
Other Versions
PermissionsPlease 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 address this letter was sent to is provided by an attached envelope. Schreiner was resident at Porchester Place from early April 1917 until August 1920, when she left Britain for South Africa. The end of the letter seems to be missing.
1Dec 12th 1919
2
3Dear old Sister,
4
5I wasn’t able to write to anyone last week, even Cron. Edna told me
6she had a letter from you telling her that Dot was back with you &
7that Ursula & Sidney had bought Frank Jouberts house.
8
9I fear by the time this gets to you Dot will have left you for her far
10off home. I have written to her there.
11
12Edna & Ol will have told you of all their trouble about people not
13being willing to have them with a baby. But they have rooms at least
14in Ursies old street. What I feel is that will be so far from me I can
15hardly ever see them or the baby, I am much weaker than when you were
16here & cannot easily get so far now. But I think the old woman will be
17kind to Edna. I cannot tell you how much I am growing to love Edna.
18She is sweet. She takes hold of ones heart.
19
20Tell me of your plans. There How is Sidney getting on? Does Ursie live
21near Alice Mushett? Do you see Anna Purcell sometimes? I hear Mrs
22Murray’s
heart is very bad. Oh I’m glad you are not here, dear, for
23your sake. Its too dark. Food is getting dearer & dearer & worse &
24worse. We get one oz of butter a week now (& such butter!) but after
25Xmas h we are to have none at all the Gov says. But it doesn’t matter
26much to me because I can only eat very little of anything.
27
28We have had no eggs for three weeks – & they say will not get any for
29another month. They have been 6d each for a long time. But we should
30not complain of anything when we think how the people on the continent
31are dying of hunger.
32
33I find that little grey knitted jersey you gave me such a comfort to
34me in the cold. Clothes are rising rapidly in price: especially all
35warm clothes. If the gov doesn’t stop it I fear there will be riots
36before the winter is over. I saw a little quite plain knitted babys
37jacket in Marshall & Snellgrove’s window; I went in & asked the price
38as I wanted to get it for Edna’s baby – the price was 18/- !!!! before
39the war it would have cost 1/6 & even last year it wouldn’t have cost
40more than 4/- The wool people must be making millions in this country.
41
42[page/s missing]
43