"Colossal evil threatening South Africa, Boer society hidebound" Read the full letter
| Letter Reference | Olive Schreiner BC16/Box4/Fold3/1910/10 |
| Archive | University of Cape Town, Manuscripts & Archives, Cape Town |
| Epistolary Type | Letter |
| Letter Date | 13 April 1910 |
| Address From | De Aar, Northern Cape |
| Address To | Sandown Road, Rondebosch, Cape Town, Western Cape |
| Who To | Lucy Molteno nee Mitchell |
| Other Versions | |
| Permissions | Please read before using or citing this transcription |
| Legend |
The Project is grateful to Manuscripts and Archives, University of Cape Town, for kindly allowing us to transcribe this Olive Schreiner letter, which is part of its Manuscripts and Archives Collections. The address this letter was sent to is provided by an attached envelope.
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1
De Aar
2 April 13th 1910
3
4 Dear Lucy
5
6 I’ve been wanting to write you a real letter ever since I came but I
7haven’t been able. It seems like a lovely dream those days I was
8with you & was so well & happy, & the dear children were so sweet.
9Don’t you think Lucy is a little like Miss Molteno? More as she was
10when I first knew her 17 years ago than as she is now? She looks at
11all life so critically & is so conscious of her own little
12individuality. Your children have a chance of growing up very fine I
13think: there is a very noble strain from ^in^ the Molteno’s & from you
14they’ll get nothing but beauty & sweetness.
15
16 If only my husband is returned for the Union Parliament I shall try to
17hire a little house somewhere near Rondebosch & then I can be with him
18all the summer & shall not need to come up here where I am so ill.
19I’ve got a good little coloured girl to help me.
20
21 I fear they will find in in the society that they have not at all got
22rid of Mrs Macfadyen. She will cause them much sorrow.
23
24 Good bye: I hope you keep growing stronger. I find the Kaffir milk so
25good. I don’t think I should have got through the first days here at
26all with out it. Your dear face was a sweet ?lastlast peep of dear old
27Cape Town.
28
29 Olive
30
31 ^Do send me a card to let me know how Dr Murray is & whether Mrs Murray
32is coming.^
33
34
35
2 April 13th 1910
3
4 Dear Lucy
5
6 I’ve been wanting to write you a real letter ever since I came but I
7haven’t been able. It seems like a lovely dream those days I was
8with you & was so well & happy, & the dear children were so sweet.
9Don’t you think Lucy is a little like Miss Molteno? More as she was
10when I first knew her 17 years ago than as she is now? She looks at
11all life so critically & is so conscious of her own little
12individuality. Your children have a chance of growing up very fine I
13think: there is a very noble strain from ^in^ the Molteno’s & from you
14they’ll get nothing but beauty & sweetness.
15
16 If only my husband is returned for the Union Parliament I shall try to
17hire a little house somewhere near Rondebosch & then I can be with him
18all the summer & shall not need to come up here where I am so ill.
19I’ve got a good little coloured girl to help me.
20
21 I fear they will find in in the society that they have not at all got
22rid of Mrs Macfadyen. She will cause them much sorrow.
23
24 Good bye: I hope you keep growing stronger. I find the Kaffir milk so
25good. I don’t think I should have got through the first days here at
26all with out it. Your dear face was a sweet ?lastlast peep of dear old
27Cape Town.
28
29 Olive
30
31 ^Do send me a card to let me know how Dr Murray is & whether Mrs Murray
32is coming.^
33
34
35