"Particularities of illness" Read the full letter
| Letter Reference | Olive Schreiner: John & Mary Brown MSC 26/2.2.7 |
| Archive | National Library of South Africa, Special Collections, Cape Town |
| Epistolary Type | Letter |
| Letter Date | 5 April 1900 |
| Address From | Wagenaars Kraal, Three Sisters, Northern Cape |
| Address To | |
| Who To | Mary Brown nee Solomon |
| Other Versions | |
| Permissions | Please read before using or citing this transcription |
| Legend |
The Project is grateful to the National Library of South Africa (NLSA), Cape Town, for kindly allowing us to transcribe this Olive Schreiner letter, which is part of its Special Collections.
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1
Wagenaar's Kraal
2 Three Sisters
3 Mar April 5th 1900
4
5 Dear Mrs Brown,
6
7 I got a paper from Cron last week with the Padiham post mark on it, so
8I see he must have been with you on the 5th a month ago today. I hope
9he will find time to write & tell yo me how you all were: I hope you
10didn't find the English climate depressing after the dear old Riviera.
11I'm sure you'll go again. When one has once been one always "Hears the
12South a 'calling". Cron said when he saw you in London that you all
13looked so well.
14
15 I am still at Wagenaar's Kraal & shall probably stay here till Cron
16comes out unless there is any necessity for my going to the Transvaal.
17I am copying out the last of my articles; I've been delayed by being
18laid up for a week, but hope to have it done in a fortnight. Things
19seem going very badly for the Republicans now; but I know that the
20heaviest reverses the British forces have had are yet to come, though
21I am almost alone in my conviction. Of course their accusation may
22give up, & then it is all over with them for the moment; but their
23spirit I am sure of. The Republics will & must be free. It is her own
24grave that England is digging in South Africa; even if for the moment
25she succeeds. It is very lonely here, but nothing matters if one can
26be well enough to work. They are all of course extreme jingoes, & I
27have not exchanged a word with any soul here on political matters
28since I came. I keep quite quiet at table, & live altogether in my
29little room with Neta my little dog. Cron seems having a hard time,
30but I think he will do some good. This parting from him for this long
31time has been one of the hardest things I have undertaken. Be People
32here talk as if the war was over but it is really only beginning.
33Strange that people can live in a land & understand so little of its
34people & its problems.
35
36 Please write & tell me all about yourselves. I've not heard from Alice
37for a long, long, time. What is her news?
38
39 Good bye my dear, dear, friends
40 Olive
41
42
2 Three Sisters
3 Mar April 5th 1900
4
5 Dear Mrs Brown,
6
7 I got a paper from Cron last week with the Padiham post mark on it, so
8I see he must have been with you on the 5th a month ago today. I hope
9he will find time to write & tell yo me how you all were: I hope you
10didn't find the English climate depressing after the dear old Riviera.
11I'm sure you'll go again. When one has once been one always "Hears the
12South a 'calling". Cron said when he saw you in London that you all
13looked so well.
14
15 I am still at Wagenaar's Kraal & shall probably stay here till Cron
16comes out unless there is any necessity for my going to the Transvaal.
17I am copying out the last of my articles; I've been delayed by being
18laid up for a week, but hope to have it done in a fortnight. Things
19seem going very badly for the Republicans now; but I know that the
20heaviest reverses the British forces have had are yet to come, though
21I am almost alone in my conviction. Of course their accusation may
22give up, & then it is all over with them for the moment; but their
23spirit I am sure of. The Republics will & must be free. It is her own
24grave that England is digging in South Africa; even if for the moment
25she succeeds. It is very lonely here, but nothing matters if one can
26be well enough to work. They are all of course extreme jingoes, & I
27have not exchanged a word with any soul here on political matters
28since I came. I keep quite quiet at table, & live altogether in my
29little room with Neta my little dog. Cron seems having a hard time,
30but I think he will do some good. This parting from him for this long
31time has been one of the hardest things I have undertaken. Be People
32here talk as if the war was over but it is really only beginning.
33Strange that people can live in a land & understand so little of its
34people & its problems.
35
36 Please write & tell me all about yourselves. I've not heard from Alice
37for a long, long, time. What is her news?
38
39 Good bye my dear, dear, friends
40 Olive
41
42