1 Copy
2 Address: c/o W.P. Schreiner Esq
3 Lyndall Newlands C.T.
4
5 Hanover, Cape Colony
6 November 9th 1900
7
8 Messrs Little, Brown & Co
9 PO Box 2158
10 254 Washington Street
11 Boston.
12
13 Dear Sirs,
14
15 Yours letter of the 22nd August. I note that you say that £40 was
16sent by Roberts Bros for composition & electrotyping of Stray Thoughts
17on S. Af" - I cannot understand how so large an expense could have
18been incurred by Roberts Bros, and am not prepared to admit that you
19can claim this amount from me, and besides this the five years of the
20contract will in any case have expired on the 25th of this month.
21
22 I have not yet seen any ?cession of the different contracts to you and
23am not prepared at present to admit that under all the circumstances
24of the case, which I need not now enter into, Roberts Bros has the
25right to cede you any of the contracts.
26
27 Without going into details I may mention that I have many grounds of
28complaint against Roberts Bros in respect of Peter Halket.
29
30 I shall be obliged if you will send me a copy of the cession you speak
31of from Roberts Bros to yourselves.
32
33 Yours faithfully
34 Olive Schreiner
35
36
37

1 Hanover
2 Oct 17 / 00
3
4 Dear Hud
5
6 Thank you very much for the letter I got that I this morning. I
7enclose the documents, all I unfortunately have. The rest are with my
8destroyed books & papers at Johannesburg. Of course had I them I would
9only have to send Roberts letters to me, & ^copies of^ mine to him to
10settle the whole matter. But I do not feel bound to tell the
11scoundrels they have been destroyed. As to the money paid me I have
12only received one tiny cheque from Brown Little & Co since they took
13over the business besides the one I returned just now. In the cheque
14they sent me the few shillings for African Farm Dreams &c has combined
15with the couple of dollar for Peter Halket. I ch cashed the cheque
16retr keeping the money for SAF & dreams but returning them the money
17for Peter Halket in a Standard Bank cheque, which cheque they have
18never notified the receipt of. I told them with it that they had
19nothing to do with Peter Halket. This ought to be inserted in my
20letter to them. I am very grateful to you for helping me. There is one
21letter of thanks to me that I sent to you but that Cron must have lost
22in England, showing that they quite recognize that all claim to Stray
23Thoughts ends with the November of this year. You see if I can't get
24Peter Halket out of their hands I must rest satisfied. But Stray
25Thoughts I will have or the book shall never be published When you can
26do nothing more with a publisher legally - I have no faith in law as
27giving you your rights - there is one hold you have on him; you can
28expose him in the press. Th I have twice got something from a
29publisher by doing that. I give you a lot of money when I'm a blooming
30publisher.
31
32 It's time to post. I'll write some more tomorrow. Legally Brown Little
33& Co probably have me in the hand; morally I have all the right.
34Thanks about the furniture at Johannesburg. If you could save me up
35the best bits of books furniture &c. I would be glad. Nothing is so
36burnt & destroyed I don't want it. Even the cover of a book with
37Gladstones writing on it, & which was half burnt might be valuable
38some day. I am not very fit again.
39
40 Love to you all
41 Olive
42
43

1 Hanover
2 Oct 9 / 0
3
4 Dear Hud
5
6 I have kept a copy of the enclosed letter. When you have carefully
7read it if you are so good as to be willing to do it, post it
8registered to Dr Brown & get ?note of delivery, ^in England^ 4d I think
9I enclose 4d.
10
11 If only I can get all my work out of their hand, & anything in writing
12from Brown Little & Co showing they will not be able to interfere with
13any American firm to whom I send sell this work, I shall have a little
14to live on. Of course if I were in America I could see the publisher,
15& a good American lawyer myself it could all be arranged at once.
16
17 I enclose Brown Little's last letter to me. The 5 years from the date
18of my agreement with Roberts Bros ends this November.
19
20 Love to you, & all the dear folk at Lyndall
21 Olive
22
23

1 Hanover 10 / 00
2
3 Dear Hudson
4
5 Thank you very much for your letter I enclose the one you sent signed.
6I did not write before as I'm too unfit to think of any things.
7
8 //Yes perhaps I had best leave Peter Halket. The great thing I want is
9to get their promise statement in writing that that they have no claim
10to Stray Thoughts. If necessary I will find the ^£^40 & it out of their
11hands. But no firm in America will touch any book that another firm
12has any connection with unless I ^you^ could show in writing that with
13his consent my ^your^ relation with a firm had terminated. This, not so
14much as ^at all as a matter^ of business in the ordinary sense, but of
15business etiquet! You can have no conception what a close ring the
16publishers form, & not the publishers & book-sellers! When for years
17Chapman & Hall had given me nothing for an African Farm I went to
18firms in London about them taking the book over they were quite cle
19willing to do so if I could show them in writing that by mutual
20consent my relation with C & Hall had terminated by mutual consent.
21They all agreed that C & H would have no legal ground against them if
22they took it, but all stated that professional etiquet would not allow
23it. I don't know what other capitalist rings are, but publishing &
24book selling sig ring is something fearful & wonderful.
25
26 I am quite willing to wait wait six months or a year before bring out
27Stray Thoughts.
28
29 Thank you so much for all the trouble you have taken. I am so grateful.
30 When I'm a blooming millionaire I'll remember you in my will!
31Seriously I've no faith in my ever getting anything by my writing. If
32I were to tell you how the publishers have done me all through you'd
33hardly believe it. It's the old capitalist story.
34
35 Much love to Bessie & the small ones
36 Your affectionate
37 Olive
38
39

1 Hanover
2 Oct 20 / 00
3
4 Dear Hud
5
6 Its possible as the cheque was returned to me for Peter Halket was
7returned just before I left Johannesburg that it was stopped by the
8English authorities in Cape Town; I doubt it, but it is possible. as
9many if the letters I have written lately have never got to America.
10
11 Give my love to them all I hope you are quite fit now & have no return
12of the faintness. I have had a bad four days, continually faintnesses
13coming on suddenly, but I've never been ?insensible & am much better
14today.
15
16 You know I don't mind if I can't get Peter Halket out of their hands,
17I'll let it go, but they shan't have Stray Thoughts to suffocate again,
18 not if I have to pay the whole £40. You know if I'd had some smart
19business man to manage my affairs I'd be worth thousands now.
20
21 Olive
22
23

1 There should have been no printer's bill if they had kept their terms
2in our agreement, & published the articles in newspapers or magazines.
3Br Roberts Brothers had no right to give the articles only two I
4believe that they had or perhaps three. They had not the permit - they
5promised me to print them in an American newspaper or magazine on the
6date on which they were printed in England, & that would have made
7them copyright in the states.
8
9 Never the less if you can make a good arrangement with another
10publisher, I would pay the charge of the printing which could not be
11more than £20 if the lawyer thinks it necessary. Rather than have no
12I will not, because that seems to imply they have a right to it which
13is not true.
14
15
16

1 Keep the letter & make a copy of my answer before sending it.
2
3 Understand well
4 Brown Little & Co shall never touch my stray thoughts not if I did die
5first, or throw the book into the sea.
6
7 With regard to Peter Halket, you ought to be able to get it from him &
8make a good arrangement with another publisher. But remember after
9November even Roberts Brothers claime to the book would have lapsed as
10the 5 years end then.
11
12 These were instructions I sent to them in England but he left before
13they came
14
15
16

1 Address: - Olive Schreiner
2 c/o Hon. W.P. Schreiner Q.C.
3 Lyndall, Newlands
4 Cape Colony,
5 South Africa
6 5th Oct. 1900
7
8 Messrs Little, Brown and Co.
9 254 Washington Street
10 Boston, Mass. U. S. A.
11
12 Dear Sirs,
13
14 I have received your letter of the 22nd Aug. 1900, and am surprised at
15your statement that I can possibly owe your firm $213.73 for the
16electrotyping of Stray Thoughts.
17
18 As I have told you, I entirely fail to recognise you in this matter,
19my work having been entrusted to Messrs Roberts Bros, whom alone I
20know in this matter. But had Roberts Bros been still in existence, I
21should equally have refused to recognise this claim.
22
23 On my publication of an African Farm, at least sixteen American
24publishers at once brought out the work. Of this number, about nine,
25with that generosity and rectitude which I have with one exception
26found to characterise American publishers, though in no way logically
27and only in honour bound, sent a large yearly cheques in consideration
28of what they were making by the sale of my work. Among these, as I
29have before stated, was a gentleman gentleman who wrote to me under
30the name of Roberts Bros, but whose real name was Brown. The
31generosity of all others was exceeded by him, inn in sending me
32cheques for £200 and £250 £150 (pounds sterling) at a time, stating
33what a profound interest he took in my work and the honour and
34pleasure he felt in returning me something for the profit he made from
35my work. We entered int into a long and intimate literary and business
36correspondence of the most friendly and confidential nature. Many of
37my American ^friends^ further knew him personally, and apart from the
38fact that every every one who ever mentioned him spoke in glowing
39terms of this integrity and generosity as a publisher, persons who had
40met him told me repeatedly of the high terms of sympathy and
41friendship with which he spoke of me and my works. He asked me to
42consider him as long as he lived as a friend as well as a publisher,
43and said that if I had anything to publish in America serially are ^or^
44which was not suited to his firm, he would consider it an honour to
45place it for me most advantageously. I have kepy all his letters
46carefully, not only because of their business value but also because
47of their friendly sympathy, and that in writing my life in the future
48I might use them to illustrate what has been the brightest episode in
49my career as an author. I believe that since the days of George
50Elliott and Blackwood, no such sympathetic and confidential relation
51has existed between an author and a publisher; at least I have not
52heard of one.
53
54 I gave him the exclusive right to act as my publisher of an African Farm
55in America, and wrote to all the publishers that had generously sent
56me money, asking them as a matter of honour to discontinue publishing
57my work, as I had entrusted it to Roberts Bros; and in one case at
58least the publisher wrote most kindly assuring me he would publish no
59more copies. From that day all the American publishers discontinued
60sending me money for my work, and I have never since received a
61farthing from any one in American for an African Farm except Robert
62Bros. I also put notices in the papers stating he was my accredited
63publisher and requesting the American public to deal with them only.
64The loss was a heavy one monetarily to me but I was glad I had been
65able in a manner to return Mr Brown's generous conduct towards me; and
66was resolved that while he personally lived, no large work from my pen
67should be published in America without his having had the first
68refusal. I am incline to think that not long after this time he died,
69as in a long letter he wrote me, he promised to send me his photograph.
70 The photograph never came, and from that time no more long fatherly
71letters came from him. If this was so, I was was never informed of his
72death, though from the nature of my letters to him it must have been
73clearly evident that I still believe believed him alive and was
74writing to an individual man whom I considered my confidential friend
75and not to an impersonal firm. If this was so, the fact was carefully
76concealed from me in the replies I received. When Dreams came out,
77shortly after their publication (they are not, as you know, copyright)
78I received a truly generous offer from another firm which had before
79made me a present of £100 for publishing Dreams if I would regard
80them as my accredited publishers; but I at once refused, as I would do
81nothing to impair Mr Brown's interests.
82
83 When I determined to publish the series of articles called Stray
84Thoughts, first serially in America and England and then later or when
85they were completed in book form, I wrote to him.
86
87 Since I first published an African Farm nineteen years ago, I have
88been inundated with offers from American magazine editors and
89publishers, and especially newspaper editors, asking me for
90contributions. In not one single instance have I ever sent anything
91for serial publication to America of whatever nature, but is has been
92at once accepted, and most generously and liberally paid for, and
93whenever the agreement has been entered upon befree the manuscript wa
94was sent to America the editor has always expres expressed the highest
95approval on its arrival and asked for more. I have received as much as
96£81 (pounds sterling) for 950 words; and £12: 10: (twelve pounds
97sterling) per thousand words, I have always been able to get in
98America for an article the editor has never seen. It was not at all
99because I should have had the slightest difficulty in placing the
100articles in the American magazines or newspapers, for I should have
101had them at once received and highly paid for, but the great distance
102of Africa to America makes it a matter of months to send and receive
103answers to a few letters while the business might be accomplished in
104America in a few hours by le wire or post. I therefore wrote to Messrs
105Rob Roberts Brothers (as I believed, addressing my old trusted
106publisher Brown) telling him that I had these articles and that, if if
107If he would undertake to have them published in some paper or magazine
108in the United States at the same time as they were published in
109England, thereby securing me the copyright of the articles in my name,
110I would, in return for this, allow him when the articles were
111completed to publish them in book form at a certain royalty for a
112period of five years from the time we signed the agreement. I further
113added it would not be necessary to send me the articles in proof
114before they appeared in the magazine or newspaper, as I intended to
115subject the whole book to careful and minute revision before it
116appeared in book form. I received a reply which I car carefully kept,
117in which not only were my terms accepted, but it was stated that the
118writer felt sure of obtaining me large sums for the articles, which
119should be carefully published in some American magazine or newspaper
120on the same date as in England and the copyright secured to me. Then,
121and only upon this condition I entered upon the agreement with Roberts
122Bros giving the right to publish the articles on certain terms in book
123form, which five years end this November. I left it quite in the hands
124of Robert Roberts Bros what newspaper or magazine they should sell my
125serial rights to and on what terms. Had I been dealing with any but a
126publisher well known to me as a person of high and spotless integrity,
127I should of course have safeguarded myself in every way, and instead
128of accepting a promised royalty should have demanded a lump sum. I
129shortly afterwards sent an important article to them. For this article
130I received £92 in England where I generally receive one-third of
131one-half of what I receive in America for what I write. Long before
132sending the article I wrote to say it was coming and cabled over from
133England some time before the date on which it would appear there. You
134may imagine my astonishment, still believing my trusted publisher to
135be my correspondent, when some time after, when I was expecting a
136cheque for at least £100 or £200 or £150, I received a short letter
137from Roberts Bros saying that they very deeply regretted they had not
138been able to place the article, but & that the copyright had ben been
139carefully secured in my name; but that they made no doubt they should
140be be able most advantageously to place the next. Had I believed I
141myself dealing with any but my generous and upright friend I shoul
142should at once have written stating that as they had violated the
143primary term of our agreement I should have nothing more to do with
144the firm and that our contract was now null and void, and I should at
145once have entered into relations with one of the numerous editors from
146whom I had at that time offer for the publication of future articles.
147But I should as soon have thought of writing to charge my father or
148brother of wilful dishonesty towards myself as the person I still
149believed to be still the head of Rober Roberts Brothers. It did not
150even strike me as possible that he was preventing the publication of
151my articles in serial form hoping thereby to add to the value of the
152book when it appeared or that, ^or^ having nothing to gain by its serial
153publication, he had never taken the trouble to canvas the magazines
154and newspapers of the United States. The only explanation I could
155think of was that he had been absent on holiday or ill and had made a
156strange oversight; and I felt convinced that the monetary loss would
157be richly made up to me when the next articles appeared. As to the
158trivial cost of printing to retain the copyright, I understood of
159course that he had failed in his obligation to get the article
160published he would pay it, but that as it would only be a matter of a
161couple of dollars it would not matter either way, and was not worth
162writing about. When the same thing happened with the next article I
163wrote rather warmly asking how it was the article had not been
164published in any magazine or newspaper when I had placed no
165restriction as to price and was myself inundated with offers for the
166serial publication of my work and asking for the names of the
167newspaper s, provincial and otherwise, and magazines to whom the
168articled had been offered, and who had refused them. To this letter
169and several others to the same effect I have up to the present day
170received no reply. I still retained my faith in Roberts Bros and when
171my book Peter Halket came out, though I refused all offers in England
172to publish on the royalty system (only possible where you closely and
173intimately know the man you are deal with with and have an absolute ^&^
174unbroken confidence) and ^I^ accepted ^in England^ the comparatively small
175sum of £1450 (one thousand four hundred and fifty pounds). I wrote
176entrusting my work to Roberts Bros on the royalty system, expecting to
177receive from them for the sale in America (where the circulation of my
178books is always two or three times that of England) at least twice as
179much in the course of a couple of years as I had got in England. I
180was further glad to have one I so well knew as a publisher, because I
181knew the South African capitalists who have their powerful agencies in
182England and America would do all they could to induce any publisher to
183suppress the work; and it was all important to me to have a publisher
184who, if any offer to this effect were made, would, however large the
185sum offered offered by the capitalist agencies, immediately
186communicate with me and enable me to take action. As you know I have
187received nothing for the publication of Peter Halket in America: the
188paltry sum of a few dollars which including what was sent me on the
189receipt of the MS amounting to only fifty or sixty pounds, a sum not
190worth considering at all in such a matter. I should have received £60
191for the publication of a few pages of Peter Halket in a magazine or
192newspaper. Eight months after Pete Peter Halket was published in
193America I received an offer from an American firm to run it serially
194through the Sunday papers for £800 (eight hundred pounds sterling)
195and then to publish it in book form giving me fifteen percent royalty.
196I was of course obliged to refuse this and other almost equally
197generous offers as Roberts Brothers had the work. But the loss of
198money, crushing as it has been, was unreadable as nothing to another.
199The book was not adequately put on the market or supplied to the trade.
200 To myself who desired above all the free circulation of the work in
201America this was the most serious misfortune of a whole literary life.
202Week after week letters poured in upon me from old friends and from
203scores of persons from whom I had never heard before, begging me to
204publish Peter Halket in the United States. These letters came not only
205from the Western and Southern States where it might be supposed
206Roberts Bros had no means of circulating their books, But from Chicago,
207 New York and Boston itself. One New York magazine ^clergyman^ wrote
208begging me to have the work published freely and circulated in the
209United States, adding that he had procured three copies, which had
210been so often lent and read and re-read, that they were worn to
211tatters, so great was the demand for the work. In some instances
212persons even sent me cheques requesting me to purchase and send them
213copies of the book, which I of course did not feel myself at liberty
214to do. I could only reply that the work had been published by Roberts
215Bros in whose office thousands of copies were lying which could be
216procured by writing to them. Again and again I wrote to Roberts Bros
217remonstrating with them xx and demanding to know the reason why the
218book had not been adequately placed on the market and why the trade
219was not kept fully supplied. I further enclosed in a registered letter
220copies of letters I had received on the subject from America, some
221from well known public and literary men. None of these letters were
222return returned nor was any notice taken of my remonstrations and no
223explanation has ever up to the present day been offered of the
224non-supply of the market with my work.
225
226 Finally I ceased to receive even an account of the sale of Peter
227Halket, Messrs Roberts Brothers thereby violating again the explicit
228terms of our signed agreement and rendering their claim to publish
229Peter Halket null and void. The last blow came to me when a letter was
230received from an unknown firm of publishers stat stating that the firm
231of Messrs Roberts Brothers had become defunct about a year before and
232that they had transferred the control of all my valuable copyright
233property into the hands of that, to me, completely unknown firm,
234Messrs Little Brown and Co of Boston, whose names I then heard for the
235first time
236
237 As I have before said, I refuse to recognise you in this matter. My
238relations have been with Roberts Brothers and my accusat accusations
239are against them; but were you that firm I should demand an immediate
240relpy reply from you to the following eight questions. I should ask,
241firstly:-
242
243 ^Firstly:-^ How as it that in honour and common honesty the death the
244death of the original Roberts Brothers was never intimated to me and
245the fact carefully concealed from me though it must have been manifest
246to anyone opening my letters that I still believed myself as
247addressing that definite individual, from my reference to letters he
248had written to me, the photograph he had promised me, and from the
249whole tenour of my letters which showed I believed myself writing to a
250person I trusted and knew?
251
252 ^Secondly:-^ Why was the primary condition of our agreement with regard
253to Stray Thoughts violated by the non-publication of the articles in a
254newspaper or magazine when I was inundated with offers for serial
255matter at that very time? And why was no list at my special request
256forwarded to me of the editors who had been written to in the United
257States with regard to the serial publication of the articles and who
258had refused to take them?
259
260 Thirdly:- How was it that after having violated the primary condition
261upon which alone the promise of the book for publication was based, by
262not securing the publication of the articles in a magazine or
263newspaper, that, instead of simply having the article printed for a
264couple of dollars, they, without my consent or approval, allowed the
265articles to be electrotyped, knowing that according to our agreement
266the articles would have to be subjected by me to careful revision
267before publication in book form, and therefore knowing at the time
268they did it, that the electrotype plates could not, be of the
269slightest use to them or to myself?
270
271 Fourthly:- How, knowing this, could they dare to suggest that I should
272recoup them for what they had, without my consent or permission and in
273direct violation of our agreement, had spent in electrotyping my work?
274
275 Fifthly:- How was it that Peter Halket was never fully supplied to the
276American trade and that all my letters of remonstrance and demanding
277an explanation on this point remained unanswered?
278
279 Sixthly:- How was it that returns of sales were not forwarded to me at
280the dated specified according to the terms of our agreement?
281
282 Seventhly:- How - as men of honour and integrity, was it possible,
283unreadable without communicating with me or giving me the slightest
284consideration, to allow their firm to become extinct and the ha hand
285over into the hands of men of whom I knew nothing whatever the charge
286of my valuable and important copyright property.
287
288 Eightly:-
289 Eighthly:- Having in consideration the terrible and calamitous loss
290which has been inflicted on me by their failure to publish my articles
291in America according to our agreement, and having failed dulybto
292supply the market with Peter Halket (a loss which, supposing I could
293have received in America only what I did x in England for the
294publication of the articles and of Peter Halket, would amount to over
295£2000 sterling), I should ask to know what sum they as men of honour
296and integrity felt themselves morally bound to pay me in compensation
297for the terrible and crushing loss losses I have sustained through the
298negligence of their firm?
299
300 Were you the firm of Messrs Roberts Brothers, I should put these
301questions to yl you and demand a reply.
302
303 Understand me, my dear sirs: I bring no charge against the honour and
304integrity of your firm. I know nothing whatever of you. I have never
305been able to meet a single person who had personally met or knew a
306single member of your firm. When I visit New York and have the
307pleasure of meeting you for half an hour, I may at once be convinced
308that I am speaking to a man, or men, who possess all the honour and
309integrity of my old publisher Brown, xx the original Robert Bros. I
310have no reason to suppose it is not so. For anything I know to the
311contrary, at the time when the firm of Roberts Brothers was ruining me
312in America by their action, your firm may not even have been in
313existence. Even with regard to the non-intimation to me of the
314extinction of the firm of Roberts Bros and the transference of the
315care of my property to other hands, the dishonour lay with them; it
316was into their hands I entrusted my property; it was they in whom I
317had placed confidence.
318
319 The only complaint I have against you is that since you gaine gained
320control of my works you have not been able to do anything with them.
321But as I explained to you fully in my last letter I do not consider
322that this necessarily implies any want of integrity. The irreparable
323loss with regard to Peter Halket took place during the first two years
324after it was issued, when it was not properly placed on the market. It
325is evident that your firm is not fitted to deal with my work; but that
326implies no slur; there are certain honourable firms in London to whom
327I should gladly entrust a work of science or philosophy knowing they
328would do as well with it as possible; while to entrust them with a
329work of light fiction or adventure would spell irreparable loss; and
330there are cer certain firms of honour and integrity to whom I should
331never dream of giving Peter Halket or Stray Thoughts. If the personnel
332of lawyer, private doctor, or executor is a matter of cardinal
333importance, infinitely more unreadable a matter of life and death to
334the author is the personnel of their publisher. One publisher is not
335equivalent to another nor can one firm be substituted for another, as
336men substitute foot warmers in a railway carriage, without regard to
337their individual qualities. A large firm in London published two works
338of a noted English writer on the royalty system, and the writer was
339receiving a few pounds yearly for their work. When th the time for
340which it had been granted to that firm expired and the work was
341removed to another, not larger, firm, their royalties at once rose to
342two or three times the old amount and have continued at that rate ever
343since. I have known an instance where the mere death of the head of
344the firm and the substitution of another individual at once sent up
345the royalties received by several authors publishing with that firm to
346two or three times the figure they had stood at before. This in no way
347implied dishonesty on the part of the firms, but merely that the new
348men were better able, by advertising and placing wisely on the market,
349to dispose of the works of those authors. I mention this because a
350sentence in your letter almost seems to ^imply^ that you imagine that I
351cast a slur on your y honour and integrity. This is in no wise the case.
352 Had my royalties risen up as soon as you took control of my works and
353I had found it most advantageous to give all writi writings to you, it
354would not have altered the conduct of Roberts Brothers. As it is you
355are gaining nothing; and the publication of my works by you spells
356absolute rin ruin to me. Certain class classes of firms are not, as
357you publishers know well, able to deal satisfactorily with certain
358classes of literature.
359
360 I have entered, my dear sirs, into this long and wearisome explanation
361of my relations with the late firm of Messrs Roberts Brothers that you
362might be in full command of all the facts; and I believe when you have
363carefully and impartially considered them you will feel I have been
364deeply wronged. I trust you will write fully and frankly to me, as I
365should not like to feel we parted company in any spirit of bitterness.
366If you considered yourselves as the representatives of the firm of B
367Roberts Bros, I should be glad to know what amount of compensation you
368feel, as me of integrity, is owing to me for the terrible and now
369quite irreparable losses inflicted on me by that firm through their
370breach of our contracts.
371
372 The only excuse I can think of for the firm of Roberts Bros is that
373after the death of the old head the firm fell into a state of
374disorganisation which may have approached bankruptcy, a supposition
375which would appear not impossible improbable from their attempting to
376dispose of their valuable rights to you. This would not exonerate them;
377 but I should be glad to think that mere negligence and not ^any^ wilful
378dishonour had been the source of my loss; the more so, as with this
379one exception all my relations with American publishers have been
380uniformly of the most satisfactory and cordial kind.
381
382 An immediate reply to this letter will oblige me, as I should like to
383hear from you before concluding arrangements with other firms in
384America for the republication of my work Peter Halket and the
385publication of Stray Thoughts. Believe me, my dear sirs, I make no
386charge against the firm of Little Brown and Co. Roberts Bros may have
387duped you as much in pretending they had the right t to transfer the
388charge of my work to you ^&^ that they had fulfilled the terms of their
389contracts with me, as they unreadable have duped me.
390
391 Yours faithfully,
392 Olive Schreiner
393
394 ^P.S. It is not necessary for me to say, that in writing to American
395firms I shall not refer to my treatment by Roberts Bros; I simply
396state that the old head of the firm lay dead & Roberts Brothers
397defunct. I wish to place my work with a new firm and I shall most
398carefully abstain from saying anything that might reflect on your^
399
400 ^firm, in any way what so ever
401 Olive Schreiner^
402
403
404

1 This is a copy of one of the endless letters I have received with
2regard to the publications of my Stray Thought articles in America.
3
4 Olive Schreiner
5
6
7

1 ^Stray Thoughts - Roberts Bros^
2
3 Memorandum of Agreement, made the ^twenty fifth^ day of ^November^ 18^95^;
4between ^Olive Schreiner of Cape Colony So Africa^
5
6 part^y^ of the first part, and ^Roberts Brothers^ Publisher^s^ and
7Bookseller^s^, doing business in the City of Boston, ^Massachusetts U.S.A^,
8 part^ies^ of the second part.
9
10 Whereas, the part^y^ of the first part ^is the author and owner of the
11Copyright of a work called Stray Thoughts on South Africa^ for the
12publication of which the parties hereto desirous to provide.
13
14 Now it is agreed, by and between the parties hereto, contracting for
15themselves and their legal representatives and assigns respectively,
16as follows:
17
18 I. The part^ies^ of the ^second^ part shall take out a copyright upon said
19work, in due form of law, in the name of ^the author, the said work to
20be published primarily in some periodicals in America and England
21simultaneously. ^
22
23 II. The part^y^ of the first part do^es^ hereby warrant that the said work
24^shall^ not infringe upon any copyright now in force, and authorize^s^ the
25part^ies^ of the second part to defend any and all claims, suits, and
26proceedings which may be taken against ^them^ for infringement of any
27other copyright by the publication of said work, and to charge the
28reasonable expenses of such defense to the part^y^ of the first part.
29
30 III. The part^ies^ of the second part shall publish said work as soon as
31practicable, after receiving the ^revised copy^, and in such a manner as
32^they^ shall deem most expedient, ^and^ shall keep the market at all times
33fully supplied therewith, and shall use all reasonable endeavours
34according to the usage of the trade, to obtain as large a sale as
35practicable therefore.
36
37 IV. The part^ies^ of the second part agree to pay the part^y^ of the first
38part a copyright of ^ten^ per cent on the ^retail^ price of all copies of
39said book sold, accounts of sales to be rendered in ^July^ and ^January^
40of each year, and the amounts due to be paid ^in cash at the time of
41settlement^
42
43 Provided, however, that copies in fine bindings and illustrated or
44expensive editions shall not be included in this percentage, but shall
45be arranged separately; also, that copies for notice shall be exempt.
46
47 V. Upon these terms and conditions, and in consideration of them, the
48part^ies^ of the second shall have the exclusive right to publish said
49work for the whole duration of the copyright, and of any renewal
50thereof, to be taken out as aforesaid ^five years;^ Provided, however,
51that in case ^they^ shall fail to perform any or either of the terms of
52this agreement upon ^their^ part, the part^y^ of the first part shall be
53entitled, upon purchasing and paying for, at a fair valuation, the
54^electro plates of said work^ to resume all rights which by this
55agreement are conferred upon the part^ies^ of the second part.
56
57 VI. If, after ^five^ years from date of publication, the demand for said
58work should not be sufficient in the opinion of the part^y^ of the
59second ^first^ part to render its publication profitable, then this
60contract shall end, and the part^y^ of the first part shall have the
61right at ^her^ option, to purchase at cost, the ^electro plates and stock
62on hand of said work^ or, failing to do this, then said part^ies^ of the
63second part shall have the right to dispose of the same as ^they^ may
64see fit, free of copyright; Provided, also, that in case no such
65ending of this contract is made, the part^ies^ of the second part shall
66have the right to dispose of any books on hand, which, being
67unsaleable, cannot be sold in the ordinary way, in the best manner
68possible, paying the part^y^ of the first part ^ten^ per cent on the net
69amount received in lieu of the percentage of Article IV.
70
71 In Witness Whereof, we have subscribed this Memorandum of Agreement,
72the day and year first above written.
73
74 In presence of ^
75J. Harry White
76SC Cronwright Schreiner
77Roberts Bros Olive Schreiner^
78
79
80 Copyright Contract. Dated, ^5th Nov^ 18^95^
81with ^Roberts Brothers^
82Agreement
83 Relative to ^
84Book publication
85of "Stray Thoughts on S. Africa."^
86
87
88
89

1 ^Peter Halket - Roberts Bros^
2
3 Memorandum of Agreement, made the ^fourth^ day of ^February^ 18^97^; between
4^Olive Schreiner, of Kimberley, South Africa^
5
6 part^y^ of the first part, and ^Roberts Brothers^ Publisher^s^ and
7Bookseller^s^, doing business in the City of Boston, ^Commonwealth of
8Massachusetts, United States of America^, part^ies^ of the second part.
9
10 Whereas, the part^y^ of the first part ^is the author and the owner of
11the copyright of a work entitled Trooper Peter Halket of Mashonaland"^
12for the publication of which the parties hereto desirous to provide.
13
14 Now it is agreed, by and between the parties hereto, contracting for
15themselves and their legal representatives and assigns respectively,
16as follows:
17
18 I. The part^ies^ of the ^second^ part shall take out a copyright ^in the
19United States of America^ upon said work, in due form of law, in the
20name of ^the Author, charging the expense thereof ($1.50) to the party
21of the first part, such copyright to be taken out at such a time as to
22permit of the publication of the book, duly protected, on February 17, 1897.^
23
24 II. The part^y^ of the first part do^es^ hereby warrant that the said work
25^shall^ not infringe upon any copyright now in force, and authorize^s^ the
26part^ies^ of the second part to defend any and all claims, suits, and
27proceedings which may be taken against ^them^ for infringement of any
28other copyright by the publication of said work, and to charge the
29reasonable expenses of such defense to the part^y^ of the first part.
30
31 III. The part^ies^ of the second part shall publish said work as soon as
32practicable, after receiving the ^manuscript^, and in such a manner as
33^they^ shall deem most expedient, ^said publication to be on February 17,
341897, and^ shall keep the market at all times fully supplied therewith,
35and shall use all reasonable endeavours according to the usage of the
36trade, to obtain as large a sale as practicable therefore.
37
38 IV. The part^ies^ of the second part agree to pay the part^y^ of the first
39part a copyright of ^ten^ per cent on the ^retail^ price of all copies of
40said book sold, ^after three thousand copies have been sold^, accounts
41of sales to be rendered in ^January^ and ^July^ of each year, and the
42amounts due to be paid ^in cash at the time of each half-yearly
43rendering of the accounts of sales^
44
45 Provided, however, that copies in fine bindings and illustrated or
46expensive editions shall not be included in this percentage, but shall
47be arranged separately; also, that copies for notice shall be exempt.
48
49 V. Upon these terms and conditions, and in consideration of them, the
50part^ies^ of the second shall have the exclusive right to publish said
51work for the whole duration of the copyright, and of any renewal
52thereof, to be taken out as aforesaid; Provided, however, that in case
53^they^ shall fail to perform any or either of the terms of this
54agreement upon ^their^ part, the part^y^ of the first part shall be
55entitled, upon purchasing and paying for, at a fair valuation, the
56^electrotype plates and stock on hand of said work, in the United
57States of America^ to resume all rights which by this agreement are
58conferred upon the part^ies^ of the second part.
59
60 VI. If, after ^five^ years from date of publication, the demand for said
61work should not be sufficient in the opinion of the part^ies^ of the
62second part to render its publication profitable, then this contract
63shall end, and the part^y^ of the first part shall have the right at ^her^
64option, to purchase at cost, the ^stock on hand of said work^ or,
65failing to do this, then said part^ies^ of the second part shall have
66the right to dispose of the same as ^they^ may see fit, free of
67copyright; Provided, also, that in case no such ending of this
68contract is made, the part^ies^ of the second part shall have the right
69to dispose of any books on hand, which, being unsaleable, cannot be
70sold in the ordinary way, in the best manner possible, paying the
71part^y^ of the first part ^ten^ per cent on the net amount received in
72lieu of the percentage of Article IV.
73
74 ^VII. The parties of the second part agree to pay the party of the
75first part an outright sum of fifty pounds (£50) to cover the sale of
76the first three thousand copies of said work.^
77
78 In Witness Whereof, we have subscribed this Memorandum of Agreement,
79the day and year first above written.
80
81 In presence of ^
82Six words written in in Clause I. before signing
83F. ?Aliott Pratt
84to Roberts Brothers
85John Brown
86Roberts Bros Olive Schreiner^
87
88
89 Copyright Contract.
90 Dated, ^4th Feb^ 18^97^
91 with
92 ^Roberts Brothers^
93 Agreement
94 Relative to
95 ^Trooper Peter Halket^
96
97
98
99

1 Dordrecht
2 Oct 12th 1871
3
4 My dearest Katie!
5
6 I have not heard from you for some time, but I know you must find more
7than enough to enough to do with your six little ones & can have very
8little time for letter writing.
9
10 I am now as see from the date of my letter at Dordrecht, where I shall
11stay for some time with my friends, the Robinsons. I am teaching their
12two little girls for which they give me £30 a year, they wished me to
13live with them just as one of the family but I preferred coming to
14some definite arrangement. I think it is always best.
15
16 We are having dreadfully cold weather here, we have had incessant rain
17& snow for a week, & I don't know how much longer it is going to last.
18
19 I am expecting to hear from Tattie tomorrow I suppose she will have
20returned to Aliwal by this time, I am so anxious to hear what she is
21going to do now. I don't fancy she will stay in Aliwal if she can help
22it poor dear thing. I wish I could spend this afternoon with her.
23
24 Don't forget to give Aunt Olive's love to all the dear little ones;
25whom I wish I could take a peep at you all. I hope my little Olive is
26growing nicely as soon as she is old enough do have her likeness taken,
27 & send me one, also those of the other children when you have them
28taken.
29
30 I must close now dear sister, do write to me as soon as you can.
31
32 I am, with fond love,
33 Your affectate sister
34 Olive A. Schreiner
35
36

1 My dearest Katie!
2
3 Your truly welcome letter reached me last post enclosing the
4likenesses of. I was so glad to receive them & often take a look at
5them. I shall be so glad when I have the photos of the little ones too.
6
7 I don't know if you will be able to to read this dreadful writing but
8we have no ink & have got to write with tea put in an old ink pot &
9very poor substitute for ink. We have sent for some Lady Grey but the
10boy has not arrived yet & I can't wait for him.
11
12 I was so glad to hear you were all well & I was so pleased with little
13Katie's letter it was so nicely written. How old is she?
14
15 I am now staying for a visit with a great friend of mine Mrs R.
16Nesbett. Mr Nesbet has had to go up with his men to the diamond fields
17on account of the war so I have come here to stay with her for a week
18or two, she is such a dear little woman & has such nice children her
19brother in law Captain Nesbett formerly of the 12th is here to-day & I
20want to have my letters finished for him to take with him tomorrow so
21that all my letters must be short this time. I have been here two
22weeks but when I left Avoca Lily & all the little ones were well, the
23week before I left Hammy Hope was up here. He is such a dear nice
24fellow, a great friend of mine. Poor Emmie is as ill as ever. Tattie's
25baby is, they say a fine boy. All the friends
26
27 ^were well when I last heard of them.
28
29 I hear Alice has another little son. I do hope he will be spared to
30them. I suppose Hemming is delighted at its being a boy.^
31
32 ^YouI must close now dear sister. You must excuse the shortness of this
33letter & the badness of the writing.
34
35 With best love to all,
36 I am
37 Your fond
38 Olive.^
39
40 ^PS By the way, I wish you would call me Olive. I like it so much
41better than Emily & it is my first name you know, so I don't see why I
42should not^
43
44 ^be called by it.
45
46 Kraai River
47April 11th, 1871^
48
49
50

1 New Rush,
2 Feb. 7th 1873
3
4 My dearest Katie
5
6 I was so glad when yesterday's post brought me your long looked for
7letter, many thanks for it. It was so long since I heard from you last
8that I was quite anxious lest one of you little ones should be ill, &
9that, the cause of your not writing.
10
11 We are all well Theo & Ettie are quite them selves once more after
12their change to the river & I am getting stronger than I have been for
13a long time past though I am still weak.
14
15 We are not finding many diamonds, only just enough to pay our way with
16but Theo still seems to like the life here & will not go back to the
17Colony. We have a splendid photographer here & when Theo has his photo
18taken which he is going to do in a day or two I will not forget to
19send you one. I have never seen better likenesses even from England
20than those that Howard takes here.
21
22 I wish if you have it, you would send me a photo of your 3 youngest as
23I have never seen any of them yet & if you have not had them taken
24please do so, as soon as you can.
25
26 Do you ever think of coming to pay the fields a visit? I fancy if you
27come in the passenger waggons it only takes three days from this to
28Beaufort West. I should so like to see you all even if only for a few
29days but I suppose you don't care much for travel with so many little
30ones.
31
32 I must close now dear Katie, as it will soon be time
33
34^to post the letters.
35
36 Do write soon to
37 Your ever loving sister
38 Olive Schreiner^
39
40

1 Dordrecht
2 April 6th 1872
3
4 My dearest Katie!
5
6 Its a long time since I last wrote to you; but I fancy I am right in
7thinking that I've not heard from you since I last did so; no news of
8you however; is I hope, good news, if any of you had been ill I should
9have been sure to have heard of it from Mamma.
10
11 I was so grieved to hear from her last week of the death of poor
12Alice's little one. I had so hoped she would keep him. Mama says
13something of his having had a fall from his nurse's knee; was that the
14cause of his death? how long was he ill? Tell me all about it when you
15write next.
16
17 I hope all your dear little ones are still well, what a merry, noisy,
18house yours must be with your five little little tongues which I am
19sure a always going & the five (or rather four) little pairs of feet
20which are never long at rest. I suppose baby does not walk yet^?^ but is
21quite as full of life as any of the others no doubt.
22
23 I am still at Dordrecht with the Robinsons, but I don't think I shall
24be here much longer, kind as the Rs are to me & glad as I know they
25are to have me with them. I feel that now poor little Aggie is gone, I
26am not needed here & would give any thing to be able to leave but
27where to go to I don't see just at present I hope some thing will turn
28up in time, but I feel so anxious, miserable & distracted just now
29that I don't feel fit for letter writing or any thing else;
30
31 Its wonderful how qual quietly one gets to take the ups & downs of
32life after a time, but I am thoroughly sick of this life always having
33to move on & never knowing where to move on to. I wish now that I had
34gone to Bedford when Ettie got me the position at Mrs Gill's, but
35enough of my self.
36
37 I was so glad to hear by last post that Theo had arrived safely at the
38Fields, poor Ettie had been very ill but when she wrote was much
39better I hope we shall soon hear good news from them.
40
41 I must close now dear sister as it is getting dreadfully late do
42answer this as soon as you receive it I shall be so glad to hear from
43you again.
44
45 With many kisses for the little ones your affectionate
46 Olive
47
48 PS. Please give my love to Alice & tell her I have written to her but
49have mislaid the letter & can't send it by this post.
50
51
52

1 My dearest Katie
2
3 I arrived in Hertzog yesterday & found your note waiting for me. I was
4truly glad to hear from you after your long silence, you see I lose no
5time in answering it.
6
7 I had a very cold wet journey down from Dordrecht & was most glad to
8get here & see dear Mamma once more after three years, for it is quite
9as long a time since I saw her last in Cradock. I found her looking
10well & not changed in any way; Papa you would not recognise at all
11with his large beard.
12
13 Hertzog is a very quiet little place but I think I shall like it much
14just on that account. I am so tired of town life that the prospect of
15a few months of quiet is delightful.
16
17 I was so glad to hear all your little ones were well; give my love to
18little Katie & tell her if I not to forget to write to me as she
19promised.
20
21 I am going to have my photo taken tomorrow & will send you one if they
22turn out well, but I very much fear they will not as the photographer
23does not seem to be one of the first order.
24
25 Mamma & I are just saying how pleasant it would be if she & I could
26take a
27
28 ^?run up to Fraserburg for a week or two before I leave but really
29there is no way of doing it, one could as easily get to England as to
30that far off Fraserburg. How ever I hope one of these days I shall see
31you dear sister.
32
33 I must now close^
34
35 ^with much true love
36
37 I remain dearest Katie
38 Your ever affectionate sister
39 Olive
40
41 PS I was so glad to find dear Mamma in such a snug little house, it is
42a much^
43
44 ^more comfortable place than I expected to find.^
45
46

1 Hertzog
2 August 18th 1872
3
4 My dearest Katie!
5
6 You must not expect a long letter from me to day, as I have a bad head
7ache.
8
9 I am quite alone at home, Papa having started for his journey up
10country to look after a waggon of his which he could not get down in
11the winter & Mamma has gone to Balfour for a few days.
12
13 I enjoy the quiet of Hertzog much, & shall still more when my piano
14comes. Music, reading & riding are the three things which make a
15country life pleasant, I think.
16
17 Mamma said she would write you all the news by this post but being at
18Balfour she may forget to do so, so I had better tell you what little
19there is myself. The most interesting thing I can think of is that
20about myself. I am engaged to be married to Mr. Julius Gau of
21Dordrecht. I can't say just yet when we shall be married; it may be
22very soon, that is in four or five months, or it may not be for at
23least a year to come. I will be able to tell you more definitely next
24week. We shall not stay long in the Colony after we are married under
25any circumstances & Mr. G told me last week that it was quite likely
26he might leave for Europe in January. I do wish it were possible to
27see you all before I go, as I will likely never see any of you again,
28the only way would be for you to come here; & I suppose with your
29large family of little ones that is quite ^out^ of the question if we go
30home in Jan - I fear I shall not be able to see Theo & Ettie but I
31don't mean to let the thought trouble me until I am sure we are going,
32for if we are not married in January we will not be for another year &
33before that there is no way of knowing what what may not have taken
34place.
35
36 I have just received a letter from Tattie Powrie. She & the children
37were all well, & her school seems to be getting on well, she has Eliza
38Burnett as teacher, does it not seem strange to think of little Eliza
39as a woman. I have also just got a letter from Hammy (Mr. Hope). He is
40still in Aliwal and doing a little better than he used to, he did not
41mention having heard from Emmie.
42
43 I hope dear Katie you will not mention my engagement to any one, in
44writing; as a rule I think it great nonsense to wish such a thing not
45to be spoken of, but circumstances alter cases you know & it would be
46very unpleasant for us to have it talked about just yet. & people do
47take such an interest in other people's affairs that what one person
48knows the whole country knows in a few weeks & you may think your self
49fortunate, if they content themselves with saying that which is true
50about you. I heard the other day that Tattie was to be married. Of
51course I did not believe it as I have made a rule never to believe any
52thing I hear. She writes me that the gentleman to whom they said she
53was to be married was one with whom she was not even on speaking terms.
54 So much for what people say.
55
56 I must bring my letter to a close now dearest Katie. Give Aunt Olive's
57love to
58
59 ^the little ones & many kisses.
60
61 Good bye
62 Ever your affectionate loving sister
63 Olive Schreiner^
64
65
66

1 Hertzog
2 Aug 27th 1872
3
4 My dearest Katie!
5
6 I don't feel at all well this evening, but I must write you a few
7lines to congratulate you on the birth of your little daughter I was
8truly glad to hear that you & she were both doing well & hope you will
9continue to do so. I trust next post will bring us good news of you &
10that by the time this reaches you you will be about once more.
11
12 I suppose a baby is 14 days to day that you are sitting up. I should
13be so glad to have a look at you both.
14
15 Papa has not yet returned from his up country journey. We are
16expecting him home next Saturday. He will have been from home a little
17more than a fortnight.
18
19 I had a long letter from Tattie Powrie the other day, she seems to be
20getting on well with her school. She is a good teacher & very much
21liked in Aliwal. I think they were all well when she wrote but though
22she had been suffering from weak eyes for some time.
23
24 I must close now dear Katie with fond love to all the little ones.
25
26 I remain
27 Your most affecate sister
28 Olive E. Schreiner
29

1 New Rush
2 December 24th 1872
3
4 My dearest Katie!
5
6 I had only time to send you such a line before I left Hertzog but I
7must try & find time to send you a note by this post.
8
9 I arrived here safely last week after a six days journey. I should
10have got here in five but was delayed by the rivers. I found poor
11Ettie on my arrival very ill in bed & suffering dreadfully, it will be
12some time before she will really get about again. The dear old girl
13quite over works herself & can not be made to take care of herself in
14any way.
15
16 Theo & Willie are well. Will is a fine strong fellow, quite as tall as
17Theo & works as well as any man. I should not have known him again.
18They are not finding much & the little they do find they can get
19hardly any thing for. Diamonds are so low just now.
20
21 The heat here is some thing dreadful & sickness very prevalent. What
22it will be by New Year I don't know. I hope you & your little ones are
23very well. Do write to me soon. I am always so glad of your letters
24dear Katie. I will try & answer you at once though letter writing here
25is no easy task.
26
27 I saw Joe Orpen here a little time ago & am expecting him to call in
28every moment so had better close.
29
30 With much love from Ettie
31
32 I am ever
33 Your most affectate sister
34 Olive
35

1 New Rush
2 Jan 1st 1873
3
4 My dearest Katie!
5
6 I have just got your kind letter for which many thanks. I've only time
7to day for a line, to wish you all a happy new year, I wish I could
8spend part of the day with you at Fraserburg. here we are having a
9frightfully hot day & will I hope have a storm this afternoon. We are
10all pretty well, that is for the fields. We are none of us in bed,
11which is more than most people here can say, still I like the Fields
12much, & more every day.
13
14 You can have no idea unless you have seen them what they are like
15Ettie & I lost our way a night or two ago & were wandering about for
16an hour or two before we got home; in that part of the camp which we
17call the town it is easy enough to find your way about even at night,
18but in the real camp it is hard work.
19
20 We are finding very few diamonds & when they are found can get very
21little for them. I don't think diamond digging is paying work at all
22now.
23
24 I must close now dearest Katie. With much fond love to the dear little
25ones & your self.
26
27 Believe me to be ever your loving sister
28 Olive
29
30 Excuse haste the post is just going.
31

1 New Rush
2 March 24th 1873.
3
4 My dearest Katie!
5
6 Many thanks for the letter, which last post brought me. I was very
7sorry to hear that poor little John was ill with scarletina & I hope
8that none of your other little ones will take it & that he will soon
9be quite well once more. You must have quite enough to do with so many
10little ones when they are all well. You must almost have more to see
11after than one person can manage when any of them are ill. Have you
12got good servants? We are in great trouble here for want of any at all
13& you can never get them for less than £2.10. a month & some ask £4,
14we have how ever got a very good cook & that is a great comfort at the
15fields where you have no kitchens. All our other men are leaving us
16tomorrow & as Theo needs twenty to work his claims I don't know what
17he will do.
18
19 We are having very cool weather here & there is little or no sickness
20just now. If you ever mean to pay the Diamond Fields a visit this
21month & the next will be the best time.
22
23 We hear every week from Willie, he is well & doing well with his
24studies. To day he starts for Grahamstown with Mr. Templeton. I hope
25he will like it as well as he has done Bedford.
26
27 We are all quite well. Theo looks so different from what he did two
28months ago, that one would hardly know him again, his trip to the
29river did him so much good.
30
31 He is not finding many diamonds, still he is paying his way & we hope
32that the big diamonds may soon come, he has a claim of his own now, so
33all that he finds is his own & if he can only get men I have no doubt
34he will do very well in time. To day is my birth day & Ettie & I are
35going out for a drive this afternoon which will be a great treat to us
36as driving is a pleasure we do not often enjoy here. It is £1 an hour
37for cart & horses & to keep your own is what only the very richest
38people can do.
39
40 On Saturday we are going to the river, where we will spend Sunday
41returning to New Rush on Monday. The river which is about twenty miles
42from this, is, every one tells me very beautiful, far more so than the
43Orange, & as there is a very nice large hotel there, it will be a
44pleasant change for us.
45
46 Young Mr Dammas has just called. I suppose you remember the Damasses
47well, this young Dammas is a very pleasant gentlemanly fellow & we see
48a great deal of him. His mother & all the rest of the family have gone
49to Europe ^&^ he is the only member of it now in the Colony.
50
51 I see from the papers that Mr. Fish, the minister who lived with us
52for so many years at Heald Town has just lost his second wife. She had
53only been married seven months & was not yet twenty. I feel so much
54for him poor fellow; he was almost a brother to us in the old days.
55Did you see him when you were at Heald Town? What a long time ago that
56visit seems now, does it not? It seems strange that living in the same
57country, so many years should have passed without our once seeing each
58other; one of us might be in England for any chance there is of our
59meeting.
60
61 You must excuse this dreadful scrawl dear Katie, but my ink & pen are
62both bad & I am in haste.
63
64 Give Aunt Olives love to the little ones & believe me dear Katie to
65remain
66 Your affeate sister
67 Olive E.A. Schreiner
68
69 P.S. Do write soon, dear Katie. Theo sends love & Ettie I think will
70enclose a note in this if she has time. I shall be glad to get a
71likeness of yourself & the children. I do hope someone will soon come
72to Fraserburg who can take them.
73

1 New Rush
2 April 30th 1873
3
4 My dearest Katie
5
6 I have just received your kind letter & the very nice little book for
7both of which many thanks. The book will be very useful to me
8especially as I am very bad at remembering birth-days. I must also
9thank you for the likeness of George & Hudson. I can see that it is
10not a very good one but I am still most glad of it.
11
12 This mornings post brought me a letter from Fred, his school seems
13doing very well, but Emma had been ill in bed for three weeks; she was
14much better when he wrote how ever.
15
16 We are all quite well & very glad of the cold weather after our hot &
17long summer.
18
19 We have just had a reed enclosure put up all around our encampment
20which will shelter us nicely from the cold winds & dust for which New
21Rush is celebrated.
22
23 Theo has not been finding much lately & diamonds are still very low in
24price, but we hope that they may soon rise as so many people are
25leaving for the Gold Fields, every day waggons start for them. Some
26friends of mine who are going up in a few weeks time want me much to
27with them, but I don't think I shall do so as they will be away for
28three or four months at least. We hear every week from Willie, he
29seems happy & is doing well with his studies, there are more than a
30hundred boys in the school yet he is head boy.
31
32 Give my best love to the children. I am so glad that they are all well
33again. Is there a good school in Fraserburg for them to go to? In some
34of these little towns the schools are really most wretched. I suppose
35Katie is getting quite a big girl now; she is much older than I was
36when you last saw me at Heald Town.
37
38 Ettie sends much love & many thanks for the book you sent her & will
39write soon. She has so many letters to send off by this post that she
40cannot do so now.
41
42 We very often see Mr. Daummas, he has just heard from his brother who
43is now in France. They were all very well except his younger sister
44who is very delicate. Mrs Hope had just come over from England to
45spend a little time with them when they wrote. I have just been out in
46the town to see a large diamond of three 159 carats which was found
47yesterday by a Mr Hubby. He hopes to get at least £4000 for it as it
48is a beautiful stone. I wonder when our turn for a big one will come,
49soon I hope. If Theo gets a very large one he has promised to send me
50to America to study at one of the large colleges that they have there
51for ladies. It is the great wish of my life & I hope that it is
52destined to be realized one of these days & not like so many of our
53hopes to come to nothing.
54
55 I have no time to add more just now dear Katie. Please write soon to
56
57 Your ever loving sister
58 Olive E.A. Schreiner
59
60 Theo sends love. I enclose a little letter for George & Katie as I
61have never forgotten how much pleasure it used to give me to get a
62letter from dear old Auntie when I was their age. How little it takes
63to make a child happy, does it not?
64

1 De Beers New Rush
2 May 24th 1873
3
4 My dearest Katie!
5
6 I was much grieved to hear of heavy trial you have had to pass through,
7 in the loss of your little daughter. It is indeed bitter when death
8takes from us those we love; but, dear sister, we do not know what
9might have been her future had she lived; how many of there are for
10whom it would have been far better had they died as little babies, for
11her there is no more bitterness or grief for ever. I wish dear Katie
12that I could see you, to tell you how much I feel for you, or even
13that I could write you a long letter this post; but I can not as I am
14suffering from a very bad thumb & writing pains me much.
15
16 Give my best love to the children & thank Katie for her letter which I
17will answer as soon as my hand is better when you also must expect a
18long letter. Till then goodbye dear Katie.
19
20 With warm love & sympathy
21 I am
22 Your ever loving sister
23 Olive E. A. Schreiner
24
25 P.S. Many thanks for the likeness - I was very glad of it.
26
27
28

1 Hertzog
2 March 1st 1874
3
4 My dearest Katie.
5
6 I have a very bad thumb & can hardly hold my pen but I must try &
7write my dear sister a few lines. I arrived here about ten o'clock
8having been about eight days on the way. I would have enjoyed the
9journey very much had it not been that I lost my portmanteau at Algoa
10Bay with almost every thing I have in the world, letters, likenesses,
11clothes. Of course they were not worth so very much but the poor mans
12all is as much to him as the rich mans.
13
14 Papa & Mamma are not looking very well & they are very hard up - do
15not see meat often for a week & do not have too much bread. They have
16nothing to live on but what you & Theo give them & now food is so dear
17they find it hard to manage. Poor Papa has hardly any clothes but some
18old things of Willie's. Of course I must get something to do at once &
19am writing this afternoon to a lady who I know wants a governess. I
20hope I shall hear by next week's post that she is willing to have me.
21
22 I hope you are all well. Give my love to the dear little people & John
23 & believe me dearest Katie ever to be
24
25 Your most loving little sister
26 Olive Schreiner
27
28 PS Mamma sends much love & many thanks for the money & will write next
28week.
29
30
31

1 Hertzog
2 April 8th 1874
3
4 My dearest Katie!
5
6 I must thank you for your kind letter received last week. I was glad
7to hear that you were all still in good health & that baby was getting
8on so nicely. I suppose I shall find her much changed in the three
9months that have past since I last saw her.
10
11 I am feeling very much better now though I shall never be well while I
12remain in these damp valleys. I hope to be able to get a position in
13Colesberg where the climate is very dry & healthy. I shall know if I
14have succeeded in doing so by next post & if I have, will be on my way
15up very soon.
16
17 Ettie was better when I heard from her last week but she is never
18quite well & Theo is finding nothing at all. He will be off to the
19Gold Fields as soon as the accounts are a little more encouraging.
20
21 Willie is well & getting on nicely in Grahamstown. He is going up to
22the fields in June before he leaves for Cape Town, & if I am in
23Colesberg I shall be able to see him for an hour or so on his way up.
24
25 When you write please tell me how all the good Fraserburg people are
26getting on & remember me kindly to any who may ask after me.
27
28 With love to all the children, believe me to be dear Katie
29 Your ever affectate sister
30 Olive
31

1 Cradock
2 May 13th 1874
3
4 My dearest Katie!
5
6 I don't know when I last heard from you & you have now two letters to
7answer but I know you will not be sorry to have a third.
8
9 I am now on my way to Colesberg & left Hertzog on Friday morning. I
10got to Bedford on Saturday after traveling all night. There I spent a
11day or two with the Solomons who were very kind. I started in the post
12cart for this on Thursday morning & arrived here the same evening. All
13my friends here were so glad to see me that they would not hear of my
14going on the next day so I have made up my mind to stay till Saturday
15& hope to reach Colesberg on Sunday night.
16
17 I am staying here with a Mrs Sidney White & she & every one else is so
18kind to me that I shall be quite sorry to leave.
19
20 Give my love to Katie & tell her I was very glad of her letter which I
21would have answered today but really have no time, as I promised to go
22out & spend the day with a friend, & must be off at once.
23
24 Hoping you are all well & with much warm love to all
25
26 Believe me ever to be
27 Your truly loving sister
28 Olive
29

1 Colesberg
2 May 25th 1874
3
4 My dear Sister!
5
6 I was so glad when on opening Mamma's letter I found it contained one
7from your self. Many thanks for it. I was so glad to hear you were all
8still well.
9
10 I am, as you see from the date of my letter, now in Colesberg where I
11arrived a little more than a week ago. I was most kindly met by the
12Weaklys & feel sure that I shall get on well here.
13
14 We live in a fine large house just out of the town & I have a nice
15large room all to my self. They live very quietly here & seldom go out
16which is just what I like you know.
17
18 I think Colesberg is the most picturesque place in the Colony & the
19climate is delightful. I have felt wonderfully better since I got here.
20
21 I heard for Will last post. He is well & very busy getting ready for
22his matriculation examination which will take place next month.
23
24 It is school time so I must close. Hoping very soon to hear from you
25again.
26
27 I am ever dear Katie
28 Your loving sister
29 Olive
30

1 Colesberg
2 June 28th 1874
3
4 My dearest Katie!
5
6 It is some time since I heard from you & I think you are two letters
7in my debt, but I know you will be very sorry to get a few lines from me.
8
9 I have been in Colesberg almost two months now, & like my place here
10increasingly well but have very little time for writing or any thing
11else. I go out so little that I know nothing of the people but the
12place itself I like much & the quiet life is just to my taste. I have
13not heard from Mamma or Ettie for some time. I suppose the former is
14busy moving over to Balfour where I do hope she may find better health
15than in low damp Hertzog.
16
17 We are having most bitterly cold weather here just now & are obliged
18to have fires almost day & night which make one feel it all the more
19when obliged to go out.
20
21 A few days ago I happened to meet a Mrs Norvil (Emily Mader that was)
22who was asking after you, & says she knew you very well before you
23were married. They live on a farm about three hours from this. Did you
24know that old Mr. Mader was married again to a young girl. I have also
25had the pleasure of meeting Fred Ludorf since I came here. He has gone
26down to Grahamstown but will be back next week when I hope to see more
27of him.
28
29 Perhaps he & Will may come up on the coach together.
30
31 I have no more time just now so must close for the present. With love
32for John & the children & much warm love for your self.
33
34Believe me to be
35Your truly loving sister
36Olive
37

1 Hermon
2 August 4th 1871
3
4 My dearest Katie!
5
6 I have just received your letter dated the 4th of May, so it has been
7just three months on the way; I was most glad to get it, it was indeed
8a long time since I had heard from you. I was glad to know you were
9all well & my dear little niece & namesake getting on nicely, tell me
10what colour her eyes are & all about her when you write. I take a
11special interest in all that concerning your little Olive
12
13 I am still at Hermon as Hammy has not been able to send for us & will
14not be able for some weeks to come. Auntie & Emmie send their love,
15Auntie has so much to do that she really has no time for letter
16writing, it seems sad that after a long & active life (as her's has
17be) she should have so much work old age, poor Emmie does not seem in
18any way better for the trip.
19
20 Emile has just returned from the Bay; he is looking very well after
21his journey. I suppose you have heard he has resigned his position as
22French missionary, & has accepted a first class magistracy from
23Government at £450 a year, so Maggie will now I suppose come out
24again in a few months. She must be in England by this time.
25
26 We are living such a quiet life here that I really have no news of any
27kind to give you, I spend most of my time in reading & walking, & am
28much enjoying the quiet of the country. I have a great dislike to Town
29life especially in small towns where you are obliged to be frien
30associate with everyone or mortally offend them.
31
32 When you write direct my letters to Care of
33
34 ^H. Hope Esqre, Aliwal North. I will be sure to get them wherever I am.
35
36 And now good night & good bye; it is time for all good folks to be in
37bed. I have still some letters to write.
38
39 With love to all,
40 I am your affectate
41 Olive^
42
43
44

1 Colesberg
2 October 20th 1874
3
4 My dearest Katie,
5
6 You have for a long time past owed me two letters, but having for a
7wonder paid off all my debts in the letter line I shall trouble you
8with a third hoping that it will bring a speedy reply.
9
10 We have been and are very busy nursing the children who one after the
11other have been ill. The baby is still very bad & it some times seems
12as if they would never be all well again. I suppose you will have
13heard all the particulars with regard to dear Theo's lucky find. I am
14hoping that if they take their diamond to Europe as they sometimes
15talk of doing I shall have a peep at them as they pass through
16Colesberg.
17
18 I wish I had had the pleasure so being at the Fields when it was found,
19 just to have seen them all so happy. I do hope he will get a good
20price for it in the end, most of all for poor Papa & Mamma's sake for
21whom I know he would do so much if he only could.
22
23 Give Auntie Olive's love to all the dear little ones. Are you thinking
24of sending Katie to school son? I should think she was quite old
25enough, but you would miss her dreadfully if she went.
26
27 Have you ever got your likenesses from Cape Town. If you have please
28don't forget your promise to send me some.
29
30 Hoping to hear from you very soon
31
32 I am dear Katie
33 Your very affectionate sister
34 Olive
35

1 Ganna Hoek
2 April 28th 1875
3
4 My dearest Katie!
5
6 Your kind letter has just reached me & I must thank you for it at once.
7 It is really too good of you to say that I must keep the money I
8borrowed from you, my dear sister. If it had not been for your sending
9it, I don't know how I should ever have got here, or what would have
10become of me. I can not thank you enough for all your kindness to me.
11As I sit here I have on the nice old waterproof you gave me & which
12has been such a good friend to me & will be though the coming winter
13which promises to be bitterly cold.
14
15 You must indeed miss your dear little daughter & I hope she will get
16on well & be very happy in Cape Town. She will feel a little lonely
17just at first I fancy & I hope she will be able to see Will often. He
18is such a dear warm hearted fellow, & will, I am sure be fond of her.
19The little ones must her too. She was always so good & kind to them,
20such a model little elder sister I used to think. Please when you next
21write be sure to give me her address, as I want to write to the dear
22little woman sometimes.
23
24 I am feeling very anxious about the dear folks up at the Diamond
25Fields; things up there seem in a very critical state. They write me
26that the niggers enrolled by the government are every where to be seen
27swaggering about & saying how they don't mean to fight with the
28diggers but to have it out on their wives & children. If once a blow
29is struck up there, on either side, there will be terrible mad work, I
30fear, as the diggers have been quite maddened by injustice & taxation
31to which all have been more or less subjected & would fight to the
32death even though their case is utterly hopeless & they know it to be
33so. Theo & all my other friends up there have armed them selves & even
34Ettie has her revolver with which to protect herself in case of the
35worst.
36
37 I am getting on very quietly & pleasantly in my work & if it were not
38for my chest would be in splendid health, but the almost continuous
39rains we have been getting have troubled me a great deal. My pupils
40are advancing wonderfully & though I shall never be fond of teaching I
41like it better than I ever thought I could.
42
43 Do you still think of paying Mamma a visit? I would be a great joy to
44the old folks to see you & your little ones. Mr. Fouche say that at
45the end of the year which I have promised to remain here he will take
46me to see them, if I wish, & will then bring me back again. He is
47terribly afraid if I go away by myself that I will never come back any
48more.
49
50 Give my love to the dear little ones & also to John whose kind offer
51to assist me in going to America I shall always feel grateful for,
52though I was unable to avail myself of it.
53
54 With much warm love for yourself, dearest Sister, believe me always to
55remain,
56 Yours very affecty
57 Olive Schreiner
58

1 3 Beverley Villas
2 Barnes
3 July 22 / 83
4
5 Dear Sister,
6
7 Many happy returns of your birthday. You are not forgotten by your
8little sister across the water. I hope you have before you many long &
9happy years.
10
11 How are all the little ones. Is Hudson at home?
12
13 I am now living close to Town in a very pleasant part, not far from
14Richmond. We are all having a very rainy summer, one can hardly
15realize the want of water at the Cape, in this country where we have
16so much at all times.
17
18 Dear Fred & Emma are well. Wilfred comes next week to spend some time
19with me. He is a lively boy, & getting on very nicely at school. He
20promises to be very tall, & is growing fast. I am going on the 31st to
21see Kitty Sutton (Fanny Reitze's sister) & her husband off at the
22London Docks. Have you seen any of the Reitzes? I like all the members
23of the family I have seen exceedingly. Kitty Sutton is a charming
24little woman. I shall be very glad when Will & Fan are married. I
25should like to go to their wedding, but the journey is too long.
26
27 With best love to all your dear little ones & much for yourself,
28 I am, dear sister,
29 Yours affectly,
30 Olive Schreiner
31
32 Address still to Fred's care as I may be moving my quarters soon.
33

1 From Matjesfontein
2 21.9.1892
3 van Olive Schreiner
4 aan Hudson Findlay
5
6 Hearty congratulations
7
8
9

1 The Homestead
2 Kimberley
3 9 May 95
4
5 My dear Bessie,
6
7 Your kind note to your Aunt, about my brother Alfred, arrived
8yesterday. As Olive is still confined to her bed, I am writing for her.
9 Many thanks for your ready response, and the hearty welcome you are
10prepared to extend to Alfred. I hope you'll be good friends: I am very
11fond of him. I am writing to him in a day or two (he reached
12Johannesburg yesterday - don't know his address yet) and will deliver
13your messages to him, & tell him to look you up.
14
15 By this time, you will have heard that our little daughter only lived
16a few hours. Olive is, I am thankful to say, recovering nicely: she
17sits up tomorrow.
18
19 Love from us both to you all,
20 Yours very affectionately,
21 S. C. Cronwright Schreiner
22
23

1 Dear Brother
2
3 Cron is going over your MS & I have written to England about it to a
4magazine editor. I hope he will take it but don't make sure at all. I
5may not be able to get it taken. But I will do all I can: & Cron is
6going over it carefully putting any little omissions &c right. The
7unreadable little stories are the most interesting part, that about
8the man who shot the nigger is very good. If you write more put in all
9the stories you know. But perhaps before writing more you had better
10wait & see how this one gets on.
11
12 Give my love to all.
13 Yours, with love from Cron & myself
14 Olive
15
16 What a sweet wife & beautiful little girl Hudson has got.
17

1 The Homestead
2 Kimberley
3 April 24 / 96
4
5 Dear John,
6
7 I have just this afternoon got your letter & the article. I was very
8glad to hear from you.
9
10 I do not like to raise your hopes too high as there may only be
11disappointment but if you write the article out very clearly, leaving
12good space between the lines (perhaps Alices hand is larger & more
13like round hand than yours & she might do it) I will try to get it
14published for you either in England, or if they will not have it here
15in this country. (Only write on one side of the paper.)
16
17 I would most gladly give any amount of time to revising it; but you
18see unless I quite rewrote it I would spoil it. The charm of such
19writing is its naturalness, if I were to patch bits in & alter words,
20I should spoil your style, & it wouldn't be mine! Do you see what I
21mean?
22
23 The 2nd of the articles which I have sent to England describes the
24relation of the Boer with his slaves, in the slave times. The 3rd
25describes the Boer's mode of life character &c; & the 4th the relation
26of the Boer & the Englishman. I will send you copies of these when
27they come. I wrote them about four years ago.
28
29 I would strongly advise your getting Alice or Eliza to copy it in a
30big round hand, because the English Editors will be much more willing
31to read them is they are printed or in a large round hand. The title
32you have chosen for the paper is very good don't change it.
33
34 If you would put in some good Boer stories &c unreadable about them,
35or stories that they have told you? In unreadable
36
37 Remember, I cannot feel sure that any magazine in England will take
38the articles but I will do my best. And if you send the articles to me
39- I will try go very carefully over them, & if there is any change in
40the wording which I can make, that would improve it, I will certainly
41do so.
42
43 I am so glad Katie is with you & my dear old Alsie too. Give my love
44to them all.
45
46 Your little sister
47 Olive
48
49 ^Very much love to Katie, Eliza & Alice. Tell the girls I wish one of
50them would write to me. Perhaps you had better write one article first
51& see if we can get that taken. Cron sends his love to you all.^
52
53

1 The Homestead
2 Kimberley
3 Dec 3rd 1897
4
5 Dear John Findlay
6
7 Your truly inexplicable & astonishing letter was forwarded to me in
8Cape Town. I am returning by this post your manuscript to Hudson's
9care. I did all I could to find a publisher for it in England but
10could not succeed; no one would take it, even though I offered to in
11one case to pay out of my own pocket if the editor would put it in his
12magazine. I can only suppose that that my not having succeeded in
13^getting^ doing so ^a publisher for it^ is the cause of your writing me so
14astonishing & insulting a letter
15
16 Your letter was the more astonishing to me because I have always
17entertained the very kindest & most friendly feelings for you. I have
18not seen you for over 23 years & then only for a few moments but I
19have always thought of you as one of the kindest hearted & gentlest of
20men, till I received this letter.
21
22 You state that you were not in the habit of beating your wife & call
23God to witness. I can only say that, that ^the idea that^ an Englishman,
24& a gentleman, could strike a woman is one that would never enter my
25mind. I would have as soon have thought that Hudson would attempt to
26cut his little Zoe's throat. Even if your wife had been a strong
27healthy woman mentally such a horrible thought, would never have
28occurred to me; but that a human creature calling himself a man would
29strike a woman whom he knew to be mentally weak, is an idea too
30horrible even to be conceived of.
31
32 In the most brutal public asylums in England, they may strike the
33patients, but unreadable it must be done secretly, or public opinion
34would rise up & visit punishment upon the torturers. All civilised
35peoples have long passed that stage in which mental weakness is
36regarded as a crime & not as the most pitiful disease on earth.
37
38 You may perhaps suppose that I have heard from someone of your
39striking your wife, but I can assure you that during the last 20 years
40I have never ^that I can recall^ heard your name so much as mentioned by
41anyone but your daughters, & they have always spoken of you most
42kindly.
43
44 You suggest complain that you, & your sins have to pay £150 for your
45^wife's^ keep; & suggest that I might support her. Now you must forgive
46my saying that while a woman's husband is living who has sworn to
47support her in sickness & in health till death, that I do not think he
48has a right to look to any one else to help him to do so. I am only a
49weak woman with broken down health, but if my husband's mind became
50affected or weak tomorrow, from that hour till the day of my death, I
51should have only one object, so to labour & toil that he should be
52supplied with everything that human care & tenderness could give him;
53not till my health was so completely broken down that I could no
54longer earn our bread should I dream of asking any human creature to
55help me to keep him. I should have thought that if I had sent you a
56£5 note to help you support your wife you would have sent it back to
57me indignantly, & asked me if I did not know you were a man & could
58support your own wife.
59
60 When you, & your two able bodied sons & your five able daughters are
61all dead, I will gladly support her my sister, though I should not
62even know her by sight if I met her, & have never passed so much as a
63day in her house.
64
65 My husband & his two young brothers supply their mother with over
66£300 a year, though she is a woman of barely 60, healthy in mind &
67body, & quite able to labour, yet they feel it a joy & an honour to
68labour for her, & to stint themselves almost of the necessities of life
69that she may have in abundance. For years my husband gave her £150 a
70year & lived on 80 or 90 a year himself & uttered no word of complaint,
71 but rejoiced to do it for her, though she was quite strong. I am sure
72that none of your children feel that if she was costing you £300 a
73year instead of only £150, that it would be my duty & ^my^ husbands to
74leave off supporting our own relatives to aid you in doing your duty.
75
76 I did not even know she was in an asylum & I had heard nothing of her
77health for some years till I got a note from Theo telling me in
78passing as a bit of news that she was in an asylum in Natal, & giving
79me no reason for her being here.
80
81 In writing to Alice a few days after I asked if it was true & what the
82cause was, but she has never replied to my letter. A few days after I
83got a letter from Mother saying it was too painful a matter to write
84about (naturally) but that she would send some letters which would
85explain matters to me. But she she has never ^sent the letters & I have never^
86referred to the matter again to her, nor to any human being in the
87whole of South Africa, neither to Theo, Ettie, Emma, Will nor anyone
88else.
89
90 It is a matter so terrible that one would not willingly speak think of
91it, much less speak of it to any human creature. The day after I wrote
92to Eliza as I got a long letter from your wife which had been
93addressed to Cape Town, & had evidently been wandering about the
94country for some weeks in which she begged me & Cron to take her out
95of the asylum & put her with a private nurse, or to let her come &
96live with us or to give her the address of Mr. Andrew Murray as she
97felt sure he would help her. I took no notice of her letter; & did not
98even tell her I had got it; but wrote her a note of almost twenty
99lines talking of the weather, or th & that sort of thing. I was
100careful not even to refer to her being in an asylum simply said I felt
101sure she would soon be quite well & strong again. Again she wrote me a
102long letter. I took no notice of it, as I have never taken any notice
103of anything she said for the last 20 years. I simply wrote & asked her
104if she would like some flower seeds as I had some. She wrote again,
105but that letter I have never answered. This was all I knew of the
106whole matter till your astonishing letter reached me. You need never
107fear I will willingly dis-cuss you or your affairs with any human
108being if I life live in South Africa for twenty years; & as for poor
109old Katie it would be too much agony to talk of her to any one.
110
111 I shall probably never mention her name again as long as I live.
112
113 Yours sincerely,
114 Olive Schreiner
115
116

1 The Homestead
2 Dec 30 / 97
3
4 Dear Hudson
5
6 Thank you for your very kind letter. The picture of the house has not
7come with it but no doubt it will arrive tomorrow. I only told Alice
8what I did, because I wanted her to understand why I had felt your old
9father writing to me as he did. Family life & relationships would be
10so much more beautiful if we could only give each other room, &
11realize that the fact that another person is related to you gives you
12no right to determine what they shall feel, believe, think or do!! My
13dear little mother is very old, & if other folk put it in her head
14that she is not being consulted as she ought to be by her children &
15grandchild, she fancies it a grievance. She will soon take another
16view of the matter, however; & I find it best always just to say
17nothing.
18
19 The photo of the house has just come. Thank you very much for it. I
20hope some day Cron & I will have the delight of spending a few days
21under its roof with you all.
22
23 Your small aunt
24 Olive
25
26

1 placed in heaps on the floors, & there are only burnt bits & odds &
2ends lying about my library, almost all presentation volumes with
3inscriptions from Gladstone, Rudyard Kipling, Sir George Grey, &
4scores of others & consisting of almost 800 volumes was worth quite
5£1,000 I always thought Cron would make money by selling them when I
6died. Some of the books would have fetched almost any price as
7curiosities. If I when you go to Pretoria you go also to Johannesburg
8would it be possible for you to collect the scattered fragments of my
9household goods & store have them stored somewhere in the town for me.
10I shall never return to that accursed house, & I do not suppose we
11shall be allowed to go up for a very long time.
12
13 I had some very valuable pictures one the original copy of a view
14^painting^ by a French artist, costing £30 which was exhibited in the
15Paris Salon, & given to me by the artist. If you could possibly find
16it even charred by fire it would still be valuable. I enclose a cheque
17for £3 please cash it in Cape Town & take the money with you, to pay
18the man you may imploy to collect the fragment. Perhaps Robert Hemming
19would let them be stored in his cellar. If not my friend Mrs. Floyd
20the wife of the Presbyterian minister on hospital hill would let the
21boxes go in her out house or our great friend Dr Mortimer who used to live
22in a big house just as Pret the bridge at Pretoria Port. Just try &
23save any thing even if smashed & partly burnt. Cron's old bedstead on
24which his father slept as a boy we could have mended again if there
25were only bits. My big ^roller topped^ desk could only be got out by
26taking the door of the little side room off its hinges (that was the
27way we got it in) but no doubt its smashed up. As to my manuscripts &
28papers no doubt they are all destroyed. We had a nice new spider
29spider in the coach house & beautiful new saddles, mine was a wedding
30present from an English officer, & I had a great deal of solid silver
31as wedding present, altogether but no doubt there's not a sign of all
32that. I'll be so grateful if you can do this for me Hud. I wouldn't
33trouble you if you there was any other way. I offered Robert Hemming
34the money & asked him to see to it, but he refused point blank. He
35said all he would do was go & look at the house.
36
37 Good bye. "What the publishers have left, that the uitlanders have
38eaten."
39
40 How are you feeling?
41
42 Your small aunt
43 Olive
44

1 De Aar
2 July 15th 1909
3
4 My dear Hud
5
6 Thanks so much for your letter. It's fine your having a farm & Bess
7going there. Tell her I'll come & see her there some day: I only like
8farm life; I am never really happy in a Town. Is your farm in a cool
9part of the Transvaal.
10
11 All goes on here with us as of old. Cron sends much love to you. I
12went three times to see poor old Ely, but could not get to see her
13after the baby was born as I was so ill.
14
15 I just met Willie Stuart's intended for a moment. She seems a most
16bright pleasant little person. Have you heard how Willie is doing in
17his business. There seems no opening for more barristers in Cape Town:
18but he seems to me a bright smart fellow who ought to do well. I like
19him very much.
20
21 Love to our sweet old Bess & all the children.
22 Your small aunt
23 Olive
24
25

1 9 Porchester Place
2 Edgeware Rd
3 London W.
4 Feb 3rd 1920
5
6 Dear Bessie
7
8 You've never answered my last letter, but in the war time mails were
9so uncertain & so many letters got lost that I've sometimes wondered
10if you ever got it! Anyhow, I want so much to have news of you all
11that I'm going to write again.
12
13 Do send me a line & tell me how it goes with you all. I heard Zoe was
14to be married to a Mr. "Brain." Is it so?
15
16 How are your wonderful boys getting on? I saw a poem by George on an
17old dog, & one by John called "Brynhild". I thought them both most
18remarkable. John has a most wonderful sense of the music of verse.
19Tell me where they are & what they are doing.
20
21 How goes it with dear old Maggie & her family?
22
23 I wrote to Emma Earp when Erold died, but she has never answered me.
24It was I did not even know he had come to England, & it was a great
25shock to me when a young South African officer said to me - "Do you
26know Erold Earp is being buried this afternoon at half past four." It
27was then five o' clock. Had I known he was here & ill I would have
28gone to see him at once & would have gone to his funeral. If you are
29writing to Emma ask her if she ever got my letter. I know when one is
30in such terrible sorrow as her's one simply cannot write: but I'd like
31to know she had it. How is Fred getting on? I heard his health was not
32very good. Last week I saw in the papers that dear old Theo had passed
33away. How terribly he has suffered. I wrote to him when Will died, &
34have had two letters from him. From what Fan said I realized he must
35be very frail. I am now the last of the old Brigade.
36
37 How is your dear old Mother?
38
39 Oliver & his sweet & charming wife are now in London, but are going
40back to the Cape in September. Her baby is expected in a few days. I
41am so sorry they live at the very other end of London; & now my heart
42troubles me with continual attacks of angina I cannot easily walk to
43the bus. But is a comfort to know they are here.
44
45 I wonder if you have seen dear Fan since she went out. She left this
46looking so frail & thin, but they write me she is a little better
47since she got there. You know since Will died my heart seems to cling
48to her almost more than anyone. We two miss him most. The young are
49young & they have their life. I am sure you will like Ursulas husband
50when you meet him he's a dear fellow.
51
52 Much love to Hud & all the children & your dear self
53 Aunt Olive
54
55

1 The Homestead
2 March 12 / 98
3
4 My dear Mr Mackenzie
5
6 I have not yet seen your article in the Contemporary Review, but am
7very glad to hear it has appeared. I am writing to you at the request
8of Mr Albert Cartwright who was, but is no more, the Editor of the
9Kimberley Advertiser. He is now to be the Editor of a new paper in
10Cape Town, which is to represent, we hope, the true liberal cause in
11South Africa, on the native question, taxation, & in opposition to the
12capitalist party, encluding Rhodes. Very able men are going to write
13for it, & Mr Cartwright is anxious to enlist you. He cannot now pay
14more than £1 a column, but will be glad to pay you that if you ever
15feel inclined to write either signed or unsigned articles for it, on
16the native or other public questions.
17
18 I do hope you will find your-self able to do something for the paper.
19Rhodes & his party have just bought up the Cape Register & there is
20now not one free out-spoken liberal paper in the Colony. With much
21love to Bessie & friendly greetings to yourself & Mrs Mackenzie,
22
23 I remain
24 Yours very sincerely
25 Olive Schreiner
26
27 PS If you think of writing forto Mr Cartwright his address will be
28Albert Cartwright
29 The White House
30 Cape Town
31
32 The paper is to appear in about three months time.
33

1 Saturday
2
3 My dear Miss Battie
4
5 I wrote to Cape Town to Miss Burgers there & asked her what ^was^ the
6ordinary price in Cape Town was for 1000 words if type writer carbons
7paper &c were given, for four copies; she sent back the enclosed wire
8saying about 1/3 per thousand. If you care to do some work, I shall
9have a little ready on Monday next.
10
11 Of course you will I know not show the work to any one and unreadable
12regard it as strictly private. I mention this because once a young
13lady a very nice girl who did typing for me showed my story to half a
14dozen people, & said she thought it didnt matter as I was going to
15print it!
16
17 Yours very sincerely
18 Olive Schreiner
19
20
21