"I was bleeding to death, you saved my life" Read the full letter
Letter Reference | Olive Schreiner BC16/Box7/Fold1/Jan-July1919/15 |
Archive | University of Cape Town, Manuscripts & Archives, Cape Town |
Epistolary Type | Letter |
Letter Date | Saturday 21 June 1919 |
Address From | 9 Porchester Place, Edgware Road, Westminster, London |
Address To | Trevaldwyn, Llandrindod Wells, Wales |
Who To | May Murray Parker nee Murray |
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 date has been written on this letter in an unknown hand, while the address it was sent to is provided by an attached envelope, which has a missing postmark. Schreiner was resident at Porchester Place from early April 1917 until August 1920, when she left Britain for South Africa.
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1Saturday
2
3My dear May,
4
5On Thursday Betty & I went to Waterloo station, to meet your Uncle
6Percy & Aunt & Margaret to go out to the christening of Is-lays little
7girl. Their place is lovely, Islay has made the house so beautiful &
8tasteful inside, & the grounds are charming. Islay looked sweeter &
9prettier than ever, but not very strong I thought – the little boy
10is a fine fat sturdy fellow, always laughing. The tiny baby is a most
11exceptionally lovely child with much dark hair, large dark eyes & a
12most beautiful mouth & chin. They say she is like one of Islays
13sisters whom I’ve not seen. There were about 12 people there b
14including the family & the minister (the man who married George &
15Margaret). We waited for some time expecting Vivian who was to come
16from Parklands with the hymnbooks! Then there was a telephone to say
17he had met an accident on his motor bike & was not coming. After Baby
18was christened Elizabeth Pamela, whe a we all had tea & cakes in the
19big hall, & then your uncle went off in Mrs Selons motor car to see
20how Victor was. He was picked up lying insensible in the road, & taken
21into one of the Dukes cottages, where they sent for a doctor, as they
22didn’t know who he was. When he came round they took him back to
23Parklands: The doctor set hid his collar bone, which was the only bone
24broken & he up & all right again I believe.
25
26Lucy Molteno arrived last night & I believe has gone down to Park
27Lands with Mrs Molteno today. I’m writing all this as the others may
28be too busy to write.
29
30Dear Jane Adams the American has just been to see me. She’s a
31splendid woman. She returns to America on Monday.
32
33Do drop me a line soon to tell me if Freddy & you think Will is
34improving at all. I am so thankful he has not been here in this awful
35heat. If he gets hayfever driving out, he ought to get one of these
36motorgoggles like your Uncle Percy wears. This is the worst month in
37the year for hay fever. Ursula & her baby are simply wonderfully well
38& flourishing. I saw them this morning.
39
40Goodbye dear. I am just scribbling this in haste to catch the post.
41
42Olive
43
2
3My dear May,
4
5On Thursday Betty & I went to Waterloo station, to meet your Uncle
6Percy & Aunt & Margaret to go out to the christening of Is-lays little
7girl. Their place is lovely, Islay has made the house so beautiful &
8tasteful inside, & the grounds are charming. Islay looked sweeter &
9prettier than ever, but not very strong I thought – the little boy
10is a fine fat sturdy fellow, always laughing. The tiny baby is a most
11exceptionally lovely child with much dark hair, large dark eyes & a
12most beautiful mouth & chin. They say she is like one of Islays
13sisters whom I’ve not seen. There were about 12 people there b
14including the family & the minister (the man who married George &
15Margaret). We waited for some time expecting Vivian who was to come
16from Parklands with the hymnbooks! Then there was a telephone to say
17he had met an accident on his motor bike & was not coming. After Baby
18was christened Elizabeth Pamela, whe a we all had tea & cakes in the
19big hall, & then your uncle went off in Mrs Selons motor car to see
20how Victor was. He was picked up lying insensible in the road, & taken
21into one of the Dukes cottages, where they sent for a doctor, as they
22didn’t know who he was. When he came round they took him back to
23Parklands: The doctor set hid his collar bone, which was the only bone
24broken & he up & all right again I believe.
25
26Lucy Molteno arrived last night & I believe has gone down to Park
27Lands with Mrs Molteno today. I’m writing all this as the others may
28be too busy to write.
29
30Dear Jane Adams the American has just been to see me. She’s a
31splendid woman. She returns to America on Monday.
32
33Do drop me a line soon to tell me if Freddy & you think Will is
34improving at all. I am so thankful he has not been here in this awful
35heat. If he gets hayfever driving out, he ought to get one of these
36motorgoggles like your Uncle Percy wears. This is the worst month in
37the year for hay fever. Ursula & her baby are simply wonderfully well
38& flourishing. I saw them this morning.
39
40Goodbye dear. I am just scribbling this in haste to catch the post.
41
42Olive
43