"Saddest & loneliest old years eve, old days at Heald Town" Read the full letter
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Letter ReferenceOlive Schreiner: Ruth Alexander MSC 26/2.1.5
ArchiveNational Library of South Africa, Special Collections, Cape Town
Epistolary TypeLetter
Letter Date14 February 1914
Address FromGrand Hotel, Alassio, Italy
Address To
Who ToRuth Alexander nee Schechter
Other Versions
PermissionsPlease 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. This letter is written on hotel printed headed notepaper.
1 Le Grand Hotel et D'Alassio
2 Alassio
3 (Riviera, Italia)
4
5 Alassio, le Feb 14th 1914
6
7 Dear Ruth, I think to-day of the sweet Valentines you sent me. I long
8to hear again how all goes well with you & "the family".
9
10 It seems as if I had been gone from Africa quite a year, & shouldn't
11be surprised to hear that Solly whas going to school already. He'll be
12a wonderfully clever child.
13
14 I am as you see still at Alassio the little village on the Riviera. I
15got much better when I first came here. But ten days a-go I got
16suddenly a very much worse attack of those pains I had at Muizenberg a
17year ago, when you were so sweet & good to me.
18
19 It lasted for 6 days The Italian doctor I had said it was stone in the
20kidney, which was what the doctors in London said. The dear women
21visitors in this hotel were so good to me For 6 nights they took it in
22turns to sit up with me.
23
24 The doctor is very clever & attentive. He is giving me strong
25medicines to try & dissolve the stone. The agony has been something
26indescribable like the worst labour pains, & he said he was afraid of
27giving large doses of opium on account to the heart being so weak. But
28now I am quite better & went down stairs to-day. I was quite touched
29by the welcome everyone gave me even the waiter. I seem to have meet
30with nothing but kindness & love ever since I landed in Europe. This
31afternoon a German lady hired a carriage & took me for a lovely drive.
32It is wonderful they should all be so kind when I think that a month
33ago I had not seen any of them I shall go on to Florence at the end of
34the month. But while I feel weak I shrink from leaving Alassio where I
35have so many kind friends
36