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Letter Reference | Olive Schreiner BC16/Box11/Fold2/Undated/40 |
Archive | University of Cape Town, Manuscripts & Archives, Cape Town |
Epistolary Type | Letter |
Letter Date | October 1912 |
Address From | De Aar, Northern Cape |
Address To | |
Who To | Frances (‘Fan’) Schreiner nee Reitz |
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 month and year have been written on this letter in an unknown hand. Schreiner was resident in De Aar from November 1907 until she left South Africa for Britain and Europe in December 1913, but with some fairly lengthy visits elsewhere over this time.
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1
Dear old sister
2
3 I’m very flap-doodlely. The heat & the height are pretty bad. I
4would start off for some where at once, but I have to pack my box &
5get the house right before I can go.
6
7 I’ve just got in a new coloured girl, & have to get her into things,
8before I can go & leave Cron to her cooking. Thats what I feel so much
9in going away. I am going to teach her to make brown bread, that’s
10the great thing Cron cares for - & then he’ll be all right She’s
11said to be a cook, if so she’s the first one who could cook I’ve
12ever had in de Aar. If I do turn up one of these days, dear, will it
13be quite convenient for you to have me, dear? Give me Ursie’s room:
14I think it suits me almost better than Dots as its further from the
15stables & I don’t feel I’m turning my girl out, just now when
16she’s got to be so undisturbed coming near to her exam.
17
18 I never felt so sorry to go away before & leave Cron, but I expect its
19only because I’m a bit played out. I shall feel another person as
20soon as I get as low down as Beaufort West. Cron says perhaps he may
21come down for a week or ten days at Xmas.
22
23 I am trying to get a house at Muizenberg for the Smutses. Isie says
24they can’t get one & fear they will have to go to Rondebosch. But I
25am writing to know whether Willie Wright could not perhaps let them
26have his house. It would be so nice to have some friend near me, &
27I’m sure it would be better for her & the children. Have you heard
28she has a new little baby called Jan Chistian after his father?
29She’s no end proud of it!
30
31 I saw the Sauers for a few minutes when they passed here. Sauer looks
32to me far from well though he says he is better.
33
34 I sent my 1/- to Miss Wookey’s fund today.
35
36 Good bye, dear. Your stupid little sister
37 Olive
38
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2
3 I’m very flap-doodlely. The heat & the height are pretty bad. I
4would start off for some where at once, but I have to pack my box &
5get the house right before I can go.
6
7 I’ve just got in a new coloured girl, & have to get her into things,
8before I can go & leave Cron to her cooking. Thats what I feel so much
9in going away. I am going to teach her to make brown bread, that’s
10the great thing Cron cares for - & then he’ll be all right She’s
11said to be a cook, if so she’s the first one who could cook I’ve
12ever had in de Aar. If I do turn up one of these days, dear, will it
13be quite convenient for you to have me, dear? Give me Ursie’s room:
14I think it suits me almost better than Dots as its further from the
15stables & I don’t feel I’m turning my girl out, just now when
16she’s got to be so undisturbed coming near to her exam.
17
18 I never felt so sorry to go away before & leave Cron, but I expect its
19only because I’m a bit played out. I shall feel another person as
20soon as I get as low down as Beaufort West. Cron says perhaps he may
21come down for a week or ten days at Xmas.
22
23 I am trying to get a house at Muizenberg for the Smutses. Isie says
24they can’t get one & fear they will have to go to Rondebosch. But I
25am writing to know whether Willie Wright could not perhaps let them
26have his house. It would be so nice to have some friend near me, &
27I’m sure it would be better for her & the children. Have you heard
28she has a new little baby called Jan Chistian after his father?
29She’s no end proud of it!
30
31 I saw the Sauers for a few minutes when they passed here. Sauer looks
32to me far from well though he says he is better.
33
34 I sent my 1/- to Miss Wookey’s fund today.
35
36 Good bye, dear. Your stupid little sister
37 Olive
38
39
40