"'From Man to Man', Rhodes dream, friendship should precede marriage" Read the full letter
| Letter Reference | Schreiner-Hemming Family BC 1080 A1.7/67 |
| Archive | University of Cape Town, Manuscripts & Archives, Cape Town |
| Epistolary Type | Letter |
| Letter Date | 8 October 1903 |
| Address From | Hanover, Northern Cape |
| Address To | |
| Who To | Henrietta (‘Ettie’) Schreiner m. Stakesby Lewis (1891) |
| 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.
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1
Hanover
2 Oct 8 / 03
3
4 My old Ettie,
5
6 Yesterday some one dumped down at my door a most mysterious little
7Golden-syrup tin full of the most delicious nartje confiet I have ever
8tasted. They said it was given them at the station. There was only my
9name Olive Schreiner Hanover on it. Did it come from you? I can’t
10think of any one else. Perhaps you sent it with the pictures & the
11pillow when Wynnie came & the station master forgot to send it to me.
12I was very welcome because here we are going through the most awful
13drought I have ever seen or heard of. No milk, no butter, no
14vegetables, & hardly any decent meat in the district. There are only
15two cows in the whole village & they are kept in a stable & fed fed on
16imported unreadable ?cow grain. All the farmers have sent their cattle
17away to the Free State & are cutting the lambs throats because the
18ewes can’t feed them. Nearly all the meerkats in the veld are dead,
19& we ha are having wonderful sand storms like in Kimberley &
20Johannesburg & they are unknown here.
21
22 I am writing this with little ‘Arriet tucked away inside my jacked
23with her little nose against my neck, patting my neck every now & then
24with her little paw.
25
26 Darling I long to see you so. I must come to Cape Town soon if only
27for one day.
28
29 Your Olive
30
31 I have any time a moment to spare just let drop me one line to tell me
32how Elberty, Guy & Effie are doing & ^yourself my dear one.^
33
34
2 Oct 8 / 03
3
4 My old Ettie,
5
6 Yesterday some one dumped down at my door a most mysterious little
7Golden-syrup tin full of the most delicious nartje confiet I have ever
8tasted. They said it was given them at the station. There was only my
9name Olive Schreiner Hanover on it. Did it come from you? I can’t
10think of any one else. Perhaps you sent it with the pictures & the
11pillow when Wynnie came & the station master forgot to send it to me.
12I was very welcome because here we are going through the most awful
13drought I have ever seen or heard of. No milk, no butter, no
14vegetables, & hardly any decent meat in the district. There are only
15two cows in the whole village & they are kept in a stable & fed fed on
16imported unreadable ?cow grain. All the farmers have sent their cattle
17away to the Free State & are cutting the lambs throats because the
18ewes can’t feed them. Nearly all the meerkats in the veld are dead,
19& we ha are having wonderful sand storms like in Kimberley &
20Johannesburg & they are unknown here.
21
22 I am writing this with little ‘Arriet tucked away inside my jacked
23with her little nose against my neck, patting my neck every now & then
24with her little paw.
25
26 Darling I long to see you so. I must come to Cape Town soon if only
27for one day.
28
29 Your Olive
30
31 I have any time a moment to spare just let drop me one line to tell me
32how Elberty, Guy & Effie are doing & ^yourself my dear one.^
33
34