"Your astonishing letter, family duties, will never mention Katie's name as long as I live" Read the full letter
| Letter Reference | HRC/OliveSchreinerLetters/OS-JohnHodgson/88 |
| Archive | Harry Ransom Center, University of Texas, Austin |
| Epistolary Type | Letter |
| Letter Date | 24 December 1918 |
| Address From | 9 Porchester Place, Edgware Road, Westminster, London |
| Address To | |
| Who To | John Hodgson |
| Other Versions | |
| Permissions | Please read before using or citing this transcription |
| Legend |
The Project is grateful to the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, the University of Texas at Austin, for kindly allowing us to transcribe this Olive Schreiner letter, which is part of its Manuscript Collections. This letter has been dated by reference to Woodrow Wilson’s visit to London, in December 1918. Schreiner was resident at Porchester Place from early April 1917 until August 1920, when she left Britain for South Africa.
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1Xmas Night
2
3Dear John
4
5All best wishes the new year. May it be to you both an exceedingly
6happy one. Joan looked like a star when she was here; if she was tired
7as she said being tired suits her – which it doesn’t most of us.
8
9I hope all goes well with the house. A house is a mighty business!
10
11Wilson came to-day & there was a big firing of guns. Well, he’s our
12only hope so we have to cling to him!
13
14Do come & see me if you are in town & have time. I hope you’ve both
15escaped influenza. Every mail from South Africa brings terrible news;
16a young nephew of mine & his wife both died within a few days of each
17other from it. But death seems more common than life now-a-days.
18
19You don’t know what loving wishes I send you for your happiness next year.
20Aunt Olive
21
2
3Dear John
4
5All best wishes the new year. May it be to you both an exceedingly
6happy one. Joan looked like a star when she was here; if she was tired
7as she said being tired suits her – which it doesn’t most of us.
8
9I hope all goes well with the house. A house is a mighty business!
10
11Wilson came to-day & there was a big firing of guns. Well, he’s our
12only hope so we have to cling to him!
13
14Do come & see me if you are in town & have time. I hope you’ve both
15escaped influenza. Every mail from South Africa brings terrible news;
16a young nephew of mine & his wife both died within a few days of each
17other from it. But death seems more common than life now-a-days.
18
19You don’t know what loving wishes I send you for your happiness next year.
20Aunt Olive
21