"Will Schreiner's death, first time in 50 years not writing to him on his birthday" Read the full letter
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Letter ReferenceOlive Schreiner: Mary Sauer MSC 26/2.11.130
ArchiveNational Library of South Africa, Special Collections, Cape Town
Epistolary TypeLetter
Letter DateMonday 17 May 1903
Address FromHanover, Northern Cape
Address To
Who ToMary Sauer nee Cloete
Other Versions
PermissionsPlease read before using or citing this transcription
Legend
The Project is grateful to the National Library of South Africa (NLSA), Cape Town, for kindly allowing us to transcribe this Olive Schreiner letter, which is part of its Special Collections. Schreiner was resident in Hanover from September 1900 to October 1907, after 1902 with visits, sometimes fairly lengthy, elsewhere.
1 Monday
2 May 17 / 03
3
4 Darling Mary
5
6 Did you ever get the "Hearts of Men"? Cron is very ill, I have to feed
7& dress & wash him the last three days like a little baby. He is quite
8helpless. He was a little better before I went to Grahamstown, but is
9much worse now. The doctor wants him to go to ?Kil Caledon: if he is
10not better I shall of course bring him down myself.
11
12 I fear rheumatic fever for him, his temperature is 100 today.
13
14 Don't you believe anything you see in the papers about our case in
15Grahamstown It is all lies. Never has the English nation disgraced
16itself as in the way in which the case was conducted there. And I
17could get no verbatim reporter, so we shall never be believed. The
18African News would not send us a reporter. unreadable No Africanders
19in this great country have helped us in this case we could have stood
20int utterly alone, when it was a matter which concerned every man &
21woman in South Africa. I have spent over £30 out of my own pocket in
22travelling expenses &c. One often feels it would be better to be a
23jingo; they do stand by each other. If three innocent Englishmen had
24been shot by the Transvaal there isn't an English man or woman in
25South Africa wouldn't have stirred to see justice done.
26
27Good bye dear.
28
29You don't mind that I don't write often. I never have time to write or
30even to read any more. Its only when I am in bed at night that I get a
31little time for reading. I don't seem to have any intellect left The
32last 9 years has been nearly all physical labour ^which kills out the
33brain.^ But now I feel I only want one thing, that my darling boy
34should get well again.
35
36 Good bye dear,
37Olive
38
39 Cron tells me that Mrs Philpot is coming out to spend some months in
40Cape Town. I suppose you will see her while she is there.
41
42
Notation
The book referred to is: Harold Fielding Hall (1901) The Hearts of Men London: Hurst & Blackett.