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Letter ReferenceSchreiner-Hemming Family BC 1080 A1.7/169
ArchiveUniversity of Cape Town, Manuscripts & Archives, Cape Town
Epistolary TypeLetter
Letter Date21 December 1918
Address From9 Porchester Place, Edgware Road, Westminster, London
Address ToMarsh’s Homes, Rondebosch, Cape Town, Western Cape
Who ToWynnie Hemming
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.
1 Dec 21st 1918
2
3 ^(I can’t be a merry Xmas to any of us)^
4
5 Wynnie, This is an awful blow that has fallen on you, my dear, dear,
6child. I know how you will always regret it was not possible for you
7to have been with him. Aunt Ettie’s treasured little Elberty, to
8have died so alone! But it is beautiful that he & Norah went together.
9I’m so glad Cron went to the station to meet them. Do write & tell
10me any further news you have. Oh Wynnie life is so sad.
11
12 Yes I have always realized what Elbert had to contend with born from
13the body of his dying mother. She was comparatively strong when you &
14Effie were born. The wonder is he had the vitality & strength he had.
15Sometimes when I think of you I just long to go out to South Africa to
16see you & be near you sometimes. But I should be no good if I came if
17I was as I am now. The attacks of angina are so persistent, they
18simply pass from one to another, & I can with great difficulty walk a
19few steps without bringing an attack on, & everything I eat seems to
20to make me sick. I am trying some vibratory massage which seems to
21help, but it is expensive 10/- a treatment ^so^ I can’t have it often.
22
23 Dot is looking quite well again & is working at Portsmouth. Ursies
24husband has been home for a short visit & has gone back to France. She
25is becoming so angelically sweet since her marriage, & so pretty. She
26is really lovely now, only so very very thin. Oliver wrote me a letter
27from Bagdad in Mesopotamia but unreadable said nothing as to the date
28of his coming back. I wonder if you will meet the girl who is engaged
29to. I think from her letters to Uncle Cron & to Fan & Will she must be
30very sweet & lovable.
31
32 Give my love to dear Effie. I am so thankful they all got through that
33terrible influenza all right.
34
35 I was in bed with it ten days in July, & have been much worse ever
36since.
37
38 Good bye, darling. I know what a blank Elberty has left in your life.
39It is beautiful he had those happy years. Take care of yourself. Your
40little old Aunt likes always to know you are somewhere in the world.
41
42 Good bye
43 Aunt Ol
44