1 My dearest Katie!
2
3 Your truly welcome letter reached me last post enclosing the
4likenesses of. I was so glad to receive them & often take a look at
5them. I shall be so glad when I have the photos of the little ones too.
6
7 I don't know if you will be able to to read this dreadful writing but
8we have no ink & have got to write with tea put in an old ink pot &
9very poor substitute for ink. We have sent for some Lady Grey but the
10boy has not arrived yet & I can't wait for him.
11
12 I was so glad to hear you were all well & I was so pleased with little
13Katie's letter it was so nicely written. How old is she?
14
15 I am now staying for a visit with a great friend of mine Mrs R.
16Nesbett. Mr Nesbet has had to go up with his men to the diamond fields
17on account of the war so I have come here to stay with her for a week
18or two, she is such a dear little woman & has such nice children her
19brother in law Captain Nesbett formerly of the 12th is here to-day & I
20want to have my letters finished for him to take with him tomorrow so
21that all my letters must be short this time. I have been here two
22weeks but when I left Avoca Lily & all the little ones were well, the
23week before I left Hammy Hope was up here. He is such a dear nice
24fellow, a great friend of mine. Poor Emmie is as ill as ever. Tattie's
25baby is, they say a fine boy. All the friends
26
27 ^were well when I last heard of them.
28
29 I hear Alice has another little son. I do hope he will be spared to
30them. I suppose Hemming is delighted at its being a boy.^
31
32 ^YouI must close now dear sister. You must excuse the shortness of this
33letter & the badness of the writing.
34
35 With best love to all,
36 I am
37 Your fond
38 Olive.^
39
40 ^PS By the way, I wish you would call me Olive. I like it so much
41better than Emily & it is my first name you know, so I don't see why I
42should not^
43
44 ^be called by it.
45
46 Kraai River
47April 11th, 1871^
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