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Letter Reference | Olive Schreiner BC16/Box4/Fold2/1909/31 |
Archive | University of Cape Town, Manuscripts & Archives, Cape Town |
Epistolary Type | Letter |
Letter Date | 6 July 1909 |
Address From | De Aar, Northern Cape |
Address To | |
Who To | Betty Molteno |
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 name of the addressee is indicated by salutation and content.
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1
De Aar
2 July 6th 1909
3
4 Dear One, I didn’t write to you last week. I haven’t been well
5enough to write to any one. I suppose you will be in England now to
6meet Mrs Murray. I’m so sorry she’s gone: it seems one star out of
7my little South African sky that I can so ill afford to lose, but
8I’m so glad you will have her & that she will see all her children.
9I’ve got a love her very much. Perhaps its only that I’ve got to
10know her better, but she seems to me grown so wonderfully sweet &
11sympathetic. She’s got just that lovely smile that you & your
12brother Percy have.
13
14 I wonder if you will come back with her! I feel if I could just see
15you or Alice I would put my arms round you for an hour without letting
16you go. There is much work to be done here. Oh my friend, it is hard
17to feel your life & strength are ebbing from you, just when you feel
18you might do a little!
19
20 Write to me & tell me about things in England.
21
22 Give my dear love to Alice. Tell her I long so to know all about the
23little baby’s coming.
24
25 My darling Boy is looking well & happy. He has begun to play tennis
26again, & that is good as he can often get to the tennis ground which
27is close to us when there isn’t time to go to the golf course. I do
28not suppose he will get into Parliament again now there is Closer
29Union. Only very rich men will be able to get in as so much money will
30be poured from the Transvaal into the elections everywhere. We shall
31probably go to Cape Town for the last time next September.
32
33 Have you seen my brother & his wife? Have you seen my darling Dot?
34Ursula is growing such a lovely child, but quite different from Dot, a
35very reserved nature.
36
37 Ollie has got four little beautiful pups. ‘Arriet is still alive.
38She is getting very old & needs much care & tenderness. It’s such a
39comfort to me to feel that if I can do nothing else in the world for
40any one I can still make my little animals happy, that is something.
41
42 Mrs Murrays two little grand-children are so lovely. I wish I had all
43your little nieces & nephews.
44
45 Cron sends his love to you.
46
47 Good bye, my darling friend
48 Olive
49
50 I have got Herbert Burrow’s pamphlet on the Future of Woman it
51expresses just what I feel.
52
53 ^It is published by the 20th Century Press 37A. Clerkenwell Green.^
54
55 ^Please let me know if you get my letters more regularly now I send
56them to the Standard Bank.^
57
58 ^Give me Alice’s present address.^
59
2 July 6th 1909
3
4 Dear One, I didn’t write to you last week. I haven’t been well
5enough to write to any one. I suppose you will be in England now to
6meet Mrs Murray. I’m so sorry she’s gone: it seems one star out of
7my little South African sky that I can so ill afford to lose, but
8I’m so glad you will have her & that she will see all her children.
9I’ve got a love her very much. Perhaps its only that I’ve got to
10know her better, but she seems to me grown so wonderfully sweet &
11sympathetic. She’s got just that lovely smile that you & your
12brother Percy have.
13
14 I wonder if you will come back with her! I feel if I could just see
15you or Alice I would put my arms round you for an hour without letting
16you go. There is much work to be done here. Oh my friend, it is hard
17to feel your life & strength are ebbing from you, just when you feel
18you might do a little!
19
20 Write to me & tell me about things in England.
21
22 Give my dear love to Alice. Tell her I long so to know all about the
23little baby’s coming.
24
25 My darling Boy is looking well & happy. He has begun to play tennis
26again, & that is good as he can often get to the tennis ground which
27is close to us when there isn’t time to go to the golf course. I do
28not suppose he will get into Parliament again now there is Closer
29Union. Only very rich men will be able to get in as so much money will
30be poured from the Transvaal into the elections everywhere. We shall
31probably go to Cape Town for the last time next September.
32
33 Have you seen my brother & his wife? Have you seen my darling Dot?
34Ursula is growing such a lovely child, but quite different from Dot, a
35very reserved nature.
36
37 Ollie has got four little beautiful pups. ‘Arriet is still alive.
38She is getting very old & needs much care & tenderness. It’s such a
39comfort to me to feel that if I can do nothing else in the world for
40any one I can still make my little animals happy, that is something.
41
42 Mrs Murrays two little grand-children are so lovely. I wish I had all
43your little nieces & nephews.
44
45 Cron sends his love to you.
46
47 Good bye, my darling friend
48 Olive
49
50 I have got Herbert Burrow’s pamphlet on the Future of Woman it
51expresses just what I feel.
52
53 ^It is published by the 20th Century Press 37A. Clerkenwell Green.^
54
55 ^Please let me know if you get my letters more regularly now I send
56them to the Standard Bank.^
57
58 ^Give me Alice’s present address.^
59
Notation
The pamphlet referred to is: Herbert Burrows (1909) The Future of Woman: A Lecture London: Twentieth Century Press.
The pamphlet referred to is: Herbert Burrows (1909) The Future of Woman: A Lecture London: Twentieth Century Press.