"Would put up two monuments, Doornkop & Slachter's Nek, pacifism" Read the full letter
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Letter ReferenceOlive Schreiner BC16/Box3/Fold4/1905/25
ArchiveUniversity of Cape Town, Manuscripts & Archives, Cape Town
Epistolary TypeLetter
Letter Date11 July 1905
Address FromHanover, Northern Cape
Address To
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 letter, which is part of its Manuscripts and Archives Collections.
1 Hanover
2 July 11 / 05
3
4 My dear old Laddy
5
6 Thank you very much for your note from Nauheim. I am so glad they
7think your heart is becoming normal as to size. I did not know it had
8not been or I should have been even more anxious about you. I thought
9it had only the same curious muscular weakness mine had before it
10began to enlarge. Did they advise you to leave off smoking? I don’t
11think there’s any chance of my ever getting to Nauheim. I am working
12a bit at one of my books copying out & revising: if I could get it
13done, say in two years time I might go! I am feeling very strong & if
14it were not for the noises in my heart should be fine.
15
16 // Cron is spending two weeks at de Aar where he has got an office, &
17I & the little Kaffir, & Ollie & the meerkats are all alone.
18
19 Yes, those birds must be very nice. I’m so thankful I didn’t come
20into the world in such time as men had exterminated all the birds &
21wild beasties; as they will one day. To-day I was out in the veld &
22saw about 50 meerkat at different places. God bless the little people.
23
24 I have Neta’s little body here, I had it put in a little lead coffin
25so that she can be buried with me. She was my good tender friend
26through many years of such loneliness as I believe is not often the
27lot of human creatures. The shock of her death had a very curious
28
29^effect on me for some time. It’s like Fred’s death. I have never
30yet been able really squarely to face it, because I dare not. My dear
31old Laddy do stay in Europe as long as you can. Its no use coming back
32to work yourself to death. There’s only one life & it’s short. ^
33
34 Love to my boy Oliver. Your little sis
35 Olive
36
Notation
The book on which Schreiner was 'working a bit at' is likely to be From Man to Man.