"Heart dying up last 5 or 6 years, 'Soul of a People' like rain falling on dry parched soil" Read the full letter
Collection Summary | View All |  Arrange By:
< Prev |
Viewing Item
of 1895 | Next >
Letter ReferenceOlive Schreiner BC16/Box5/Fold1/1912/15
ArchiveUniversity of Cape Town, Manuscripts & Archives, Cape Town
Epistolary TypeLetter
Letter DateTuesday 23 April 1912
Address FromDe Aar, Northern Cape
Address To
Who ToBetty Molteno
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. The date has been written on this letter in an unknown hand. The name of the addressee is indicated by salutation and content.
1 De Aar
2 Tuesday
3
4 Darling Friend
5
6 It’s a great disappointment you are not coming. I have a ty tiny
7room ready for you, & a heart longing for you. When you & Alice come
8back from Dube you must come here. But I’d like you to come at this
9time of year when all my flowers are out & the trees in full leaf. In
10the spring my garden will be naked.
11
12 Much love to you. Go & see the Tolstoy farm where Gandi is when you
13pass through Johannesburg on you way to come to me.
14
15 Olive
16
Notation
Betty Molteno acted on Schreiner’s suggestion that she visit Gandhi at Tolstoy Farm, as indicated by the letter of 21 May 1912 from Gandhi to Alice Greene below. The Project is grateful to John Barham and the Greene Family for kindly allowing us to include this letter, which is part of the family collections:

Tolstoy Farm,
Lawley Station,
Transvaal.

May 21st 1912

Dear Miss Greene,

I was delighted to receive your letter. It was the first intimation I had of your & Miss Molteno’s arrival in S.A. I have spoken to Mr Kallenbach whose farm this is. He will be writing separately to Miss Molteno. From your letter it appears to mie that you are not coming. I need hardly say that we shall welcome you both. If you will kindly send a wire, Miss Molteno will be met at Park & Lawley. There is no thro’ train to Lawley from Phoenix. Miss Molteno will change at Park. I advise her coming by the slow train. This will mean two nights on the train. But it will enable her to take the morning train to Lawley. The farm is abt a mile from the Lawley Stn. But of course there will be a conveyance at the Stn.

I am glad that both of you liked your visit to Phoenix. Life here is simpler than at Phoenix & therefore to that extent an improvement. But I need not refer to this; for either both of you or at least Miss Molteno will see it personally.

I have not yet received Miss Molteno’s letter. Yours was received only yesterday & too late for me to catch yesterday’s post.

I am
Yours sincerely
MK Gandhi