"Distributing relief money & goods wisely & justly" Read the full letter
| Letter Reference | Olive Schreiner BC16/Box3/Fold3/1904/1 |
| Archive | University of Cape Town, Manuscripts & Archives, Cape Town |
| Epistolary Type | Letter |
| Letter Date | 4 January 1904 |
| Address From | Hanover, Northern Cape |
| Address To | |
| Who To | Frances ('Fan') Schreiner nee Reitz |
| 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.
|
1
Hanover
2 Jan 4 / 04
3
4 Dearest Fan
5
6 I am back again & Hanover & Cron left last night on his six weeks tour.
7 I have no one in the house but Neta & Ollie, as my little Bushman
8girl is very ill with typhoid fever, & I have had no one to help me
9even to fetch water since I came back. My washerwoman also is ill.
10When I asked why she did not come for the wash clothes they told me
11her husband & two children were dead, & she with one child was in the
12diphtheria Lazzaretto close to this. There have been three deaths this
13week among the leading ^white^ people from typhoid & many are down. The
14thermometer stands at 90 in the shade in my bedroom & is 80 at twelve
15at unreadable night! I wish so much now I had accepted Ett’s
16invitation to stay a month at the Highlands. Even if I had got asthma
17it couldn’t have been like this. Clouds of dust are blowing about &
18no sign of rain. I am sending you a copy of songs from the Veld. Tell
19me what you think of the songs at the beginning by a person in South
20Africa, & not signed. I like some of them much. But the finest thing
21in the book is Bertrand Shadwell’s "de Wet." It was so nice to see
22you all dear. It seems like a beautiful dream
23
24 Olive
25
26^Tell my Ollie boy his snakes &c are coming when I have the strength to
27pack them. The heat & dryness here take all the go out of one. ^
28
29 Olive
30
2 Jan 4 / 04
3
4 Dearest Fan
5
6 I am back again & Hanover & Cron left last night on his six weeks tour.
7 I have no one in the house but Neta & Ollie, as my little Bushman
8girl is very ill with typhoid fever, & I have had no one to help me
9even to fetch water since I came back. My washerwoman also is ill.
10When I asked why she did not come for the wash clothes they told me
11her husband & two children were dead, & she with one child was in the
12diphtheria Lazzaretto close to this. There have been three deaths this
13week among the leading ^white^ people from typhoid & many are down. The
14thermometer stands at 90 in the shade in my bedroom & is 80 at twelve
15at unreadable night! I wish so much now I had accepted Ett’s
16invitation to stay a month at the Highlands. Even if I had got asthma
17it couldn’t have been like this. Clouds of dust are blowing about &
18no sign of rain. I am sending you a copy of songs from the Veld. Tell
19me what you think of the songs at the beginning by a person in South
20Africa, & not signed. I like some of them much. But the finest thing
21in the book is Bertrand Shadwell’s "de Wet." It was so nice to see
22you all dear. It seems like a beautiful dream
23
24 Olive
25
26^Tell my Ollie boy his snakes &c are coming when I have the strength to
27pack them. The heat & dryness here take all the go out of one. ^
28
29 Olive
30
Notation
The book referred to is: Anonymous (1902) Songs of the Veld and Other Poems: Reprinted from ‘The New Age’ London: New Age Press.
The book referred to is: Anonymous (1902) Songs of the Veld and Other Poems: Reprinted from ‘The New Age’ London: New Age Press.