"Trying to help Will Schreiner politically; I want 'She wrote Peter Halket' on my grave; it's what it cost me" Read the full letter
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Letter ReferenceOlive Schreiner BC16/Box6/Fold1/July-Dec1915/16
ArchiveUniversity of Cape Town, Manuscripts & Archives, Cape Town
Epistolary TypeLettercard
Letter DateWednesday 25 August 1915
Address FromLlandrindod Wells, Wales
Address ToHigh Commissioner for South Africa, Victoria Street, Westminster, London
Who ToWilliam Philip ('Will') Schreiner
Other Versions
PermissionsPlease 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 lettercard, which is part of its Manuscripts and Archives Collections. The date has been written on this letter-card in an unknown hand. The address it was sent to and the name of its addressee are on the front.
1Llandrindod Wells
2Wednesday
3
4Thanks for your letter dear. I try not to think of the boy: but the
5other day as I was sitting writing here his face & figure suddenly
6started out before me, he was without his hat, his dear straight hair
7standing up straighter than usual, & that bright excited alert look
8that sometimes comes into his eyes. He was all right so if I was
9superstitious I should say that if he was in action he wasn’t
10wounded then.
11
12Really I suppose its when you are trying to think you are not thinking
13of people & things, that really are in the other part of your brain
14that they start out on you in such an unexpected way.
15
16I had a letter from Cron this morning. He was in Cape Town & had met
17Bill in the street who says he was looking splendidly fit.
18
19My friend Mrs Montefiore is coming here on the 6th with her motor car!
20Glory Halleluya & the old Roger Rue!” I shall go for drives. I could
21howl when I see the motor buses going past here every day & I’m not
22in! They charge too much 4/- or 6/- for an afternoon & 10/- for a days
23driving. But now I am going to write desperately hard till the 6th
24that I may feel I deserve drives. Have you ever tried drinking Vichy Water.
25 Adela’s doctor ordered me to drink a bottle a day, & its doing me
26wonderful good. Try it. Its nice to take. Take it when you wake &
27before & after not with meals.
28
29Olive
30
Notation
It is not clear what Schreiner was writing 'desperately hard at, but this it is likely to have been her never completed 'The Dawn of Civilization'.