"Not love uniting you but greed, gold-thirsty native policy, cheap labour" Read the full letter
Letter Reference | Smuts A1/187/99A |
Archive | National Archives Repository, Pretoria |
Epistolary Type | Letter |
Letter Date | 30 August 1903 |
Address From | Hanover, Northern Cape |
Address To | |
Who To | Isie Smuts nee Krige |
Other Versions | |
Permissions | Please read before using or citing this transcription |
Legend |
The Project is grateful to the National Archives Repository, Pretoria, for kindly allowing us to transcribe this Olive Schreiner letter, which is part of its Special Collections.
|
1
Hanover
2 Aug 30 / 03
3
4 Dear Isie
5
6 Your letter was sent on to me here. All my heart goes out in love &
7sympathy towards little Sannie. I know what a joy she will be to her
8father & mother. I am so glad to know you are getting on well; but
9please send me a line to say just how you both are. It was such a
10surprise & joy to hear of the coming of your little one.
11
12 I am now in Hanover. I got here a week ago meaning to spend one day
13here & then go on to Bloemfontein, but I got unreadable ill here &
14have not been able to go on. I hope I may be able to go at the end of
15this week. I think Cron will be going up to the Pretoria for a few
16days & will pass Hanover Rd on Saturday the a 5th & it I will join him
17at Hanover Rd & go as far as Bloemfontein. I am staying in bed &
18trying to get better. Our little home is not yet nearly finished; & it
19was a great disappointment to me when I came here as I expected it to
20be quite done. I have just had a letter from Malan’s aunt Mrs Van
21Heerden. Her old father for whom she has kept house & whom she had
22tended for years like a child is dead. I do hope she & Malan will not
23have to leave the farm, that some arrangement will be made by which he
24& his aunt can stay on the farm. I had such a delightful time with the
25dear Le Roux’s at Uitkÿk; it was like being in my ^own^ sister’s house.
26They took me to Prince Albert & we spent a delightful two weeks there
27with the ?Lütys & I got to know a very sweet little woman Mrs Du Toit
28the wife of the Dutch Minister there. She was a Miss Goosen of the
29Free State, & was sent away by the Military. Her sister-in-law Mrs
30Fouchè who was Sophie du Toit, is coming here as the wife of our new
31minister Fouchè.
32
33 I am long so terribly to see my husband. I have only seen him twice in
34the last three months. I am trying to be well to catch the mail train
35on Saturday. It is my heart that is so troublesome. I want to try &
36get a servant in Bloemfontein too.
37
38 Give many kisses to little Sannie. I know what a joy she must be to
39you all.
40
41^I hope I shall see her some day.
42
43 Yours ever
44 Olive^
45
46 ^Please drop me a line to say just how you are.^
47
48
2 Aug 30 / 03
3
4 Dear Isie
5
6 Your letter was sent on to me here. All my heart goes out in love &
7sympathy towards little Sannie. I know what a joy she will be to her
8father & mother. I am so glad to know you are getting on well; but
9please send me a line to say just how you both are. It was such a
10surprise & joy to hear of the coming of your little one.
11
12 I am now in Hanover. I got here a week ago meaning to spend one day
13here & then go on to Bloemfontein, but I got unreadable ill here &
14have not been able to go on. I hope I may be able to go at the end of
15this week. I think Cron will be going up to the Pretoria for a few
16days & will pass Hanover Rd on Saturday the a 5th & it I will join him
17at Hanover Rd & go as far as Bloemfontein. I am staying in bed &
18trying to get better. Our little home is not yet nearly finished; & it
19was a great disappointment to me when I came here as I expected it to
20be quite done. I have just had a letter from Malan’s aunt Mrs Van
21Heerden. Her old father for whom she has kept house & whom she had
22tended for years like a child is dead. I do hope she & Malan will not
23have to leave the farm, that some arrangement will be made by which he
24& his aunt can stay on the farm. I had such a delightful time with the
25dear Le Roux’s at Uitkÿk; it was like being in my ^own^ sister’s house.
26They took me to Prince Albert & we spent a delightful two weeks there
27with the ?Lütys & I got to know a very sweet little woman Mrs Du Toit
28the wife of the Dutch Minister there. She was a Miss Goosen of the
29Free State, & was sent away by the Military. Her sister-in-law Mrs
30Fouchè who was Sophie du Toit, is coming here as the wife of our new
31minister Fouchè.
32
33 I am long so terribly to see my husband. I have only seen him twice in
34the last three months. I am trying to be well to catch the mail train
35on Saturday. It is my heart that is so troublesome. I want to try &
36get a servant in Bloemfontein too.
37
38 Give many kisses to little Sannie. I know what a joy she must be to
39you all.
40
41^I hope I shall see her some day.
42
43 Yours ever
44 Olive^
45
46 ^Please drop me a line to say just how you are.^
47
48