"Rhodes as almighty might-have-been" Read the full letter
Letter Reference | Olive Schreiner: Mary Sauer MSC 26/2.11.81 |
Archive | National Library of South Africa, Special Collections, Cape Town |
Epistolary Type | Letter |
Letter Date | 2 January 1895 |
Address From | The Homestead, Kimberley, Northern Cape |
Address To | |
Who To | Mary Sauer nee Cloete |
Other Versions | Rive 1987: 245 |
Permissions | Please 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 has misdated this letter as 1894, although it is should be 1895.
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1
The Homestead
2 Jan 2 / 94
3
4 A Happy New Year to you, dear. I hope I shall see you before it is out.
5 Thank you for sending the book. I wonder if there is any truth in the
6idea that a a very hot bath taken just as the labour comes on, does so
7much good? Do you now anyone who has tried it? it seems it might be
8good.
9
10 All is going very well with me. My sweet husband seems to grow gentler
11& tenderer to me every day - & I feel an always increasing respect for
12his character; & that is much to say when two people are so un
13interruptedly together as he & I are, & have been for the last 11
14months we shall have been married a year on the 24th of next month.
15
16 I have just got my English mail. Alice Corthorn has passed her final &
17has now a London M.B., & has passed high in honours. I also heard from
18Maud Cameron (White). She finds the English climate very depressing, &
19is staying alone in lodgings in London. I fancy her feeling to London,
20must be something like yours on our first visit.
21
22 My brother Fred has sent me out two lovely little gowns for the baby:
23Cron says I will wear them out long before the baby is born with going
24to take them out of the drawer to look at them! Cron will be down in
25Cape Town in March I think for a couple of weeks & will be sure to
26come & see you. I think will will arrive about the 3rd. I'm not
27expecting the baby till the end of April so he will be back ^long^
28before. How are your little ones? It will be nice to hear all about
29you from Cron
30
31 ^Good bye, dear. Write to me soon.
32 Olive^
33
2 Jan 2 / 94
3
4 A Happy New Year to you, dear. I hope I shall see you before it is out.
5 Thank you for sending the book. I wonder if there is any truth in the
6idea that a a very hot bath taken just as the labour comes on, does so
7much good? Do you now anyone who has tried it? it seems it might be
8good.
9
10 All is going very well with me. My sweet husband seems to grow gentler
11& tenderer to me every day - & I feel an always increasing respect for
12his character; & that is much to say when two people are so un
13interruptedly together as he & I are, & have been for the last 11
14months we shall have been married a year on the 24th of next month.
15
16 I have just got my English mail. Alice Corthorn has passed her final &
17has now a London M.B., & has passed high in honours. I also heard from
18Maud Cameron (White). She finds the English climate very depressing, &
19is staying alone in lodgings in London. I fancy her feeling to London,
20must be something like yours on our first visit.
21
22 My brother Fred has sent me out two lovely little gowns for the baby:
23Cron says I will wear them out long before the baby is born with going
24to take them out of the drawer to look at them! Cron will be down in
25Cape Town in March I think for a couple of weeks & will be sure to
26come & see you. I think will will arrive about the 3rd. I'm not
27expecting the baby till the end of April so he will be back ^long^
28before. How are your little ones? It will be nice to hear all about
29you from Cron
30
31 ^Good bye, dear. Write to me soon.
32 Olive^
33
Notation
Rive's (1987) version omits part of this letter and is also in a number of respects incorrect.
Rive's (1987) version omits part of this letter and is also in a number of respects incorrect.