"Life as governess on farm" Read the full letter
| Letter Reference | Smuts A1/195/46 |
| Archive | National Archives Repository, Pretoria |
| Epistolary Type | Letter |
| Letter Date | Friday 18 July 1913 |
| Address From | De Aar, Northern Cape |
| Address To | |
| Who To | Isie Smuts nee Krige |
| Other Versions | |
| Permissions | Please read before using or citing this transcription |
| Legend |
The Project is grateful to the National Archives Repository, Pretoria, for kindly allowing us to transcribe this Olive Schreiner letter, which is part of its Special Collections. This letter has been dated by reference to letter content and when Sauer suffered a stroke. Schreiner was resident in De Aar from November 1907 until she left South Africa for Britain and Europe in December 1913, but with some fairly lengthy visits elsewhere over this time.
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1
Friday night
2
3 Dear Isie
4
5 The beautiful box of fruit you sent me has come. The little apricots
6are delicious & do me such good. I think its the ?hydrocranic acid in
7them. The fruit is most welcome. The box came broken open at the top,
8but we have put it together again. I don’t think many of the oranges
9& nartjes fell out. I am returning the box by this train.
10
11 How are you all? I hope the darling babe grows well. I have been very
12sorry to hear of Mr. Sauer’s illness. I don’t think his heart is
13strong. Heart disease seems as much the trouble of South Africa as
14consumption is of Europe. Three seemingly big strong people here have
15died just lately of heart. One the wife of the member of parliament.
16
17 It seems there is no chance of Emily Hobhouse coming out to this
18country for a short time. She wants me to go back with her in December,
19 but I don’t know if I can manage it.
20
21 For some months I’ve not been able to lie down at night, have to
22sleep sitting in a chair if ever I do sleep, & that does not give one
23much rest.
24
25 I hope your dear mother is feeling better & more comforted for the
26loss of her dear son. Give her my love when you write. Do you know
27when that Womans Monument to be unveiled? Emily Hobhouse doesn’t
28tell me when she’s coming out, if she does come. Will a letter find
29her still at home if I write now?
30
31 Love to you all dear, & many many thanks for the lovely fruit.
32
33 Thine ever
34 Olive Schreiner
35
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2
3 Dear Isie
4
5 The beautiful box of fruit you sent me has come. The little apricots
6are delicious & do me such good. I think its the ?hydrocranic acid in
7them. The fruit is most welcome. The box came broken open at the top,
8but we have put it together again. I don’t think many of the oranges
9& nartjes fell out. I am returning the box by this train.
10
11 How are you all? I hope the darling babe grows well. I have been very
12sorry to hear of Mr. Sauer’s illness. I don’t think his heart is
13strong. Heart disease seems as much the trouble of South Africa as
14consumption is of Europe. Three seemingly big strong people here have
15died just lately of heart. One the wife of the member of parliament.
16
17 It seems there is no chance of Emily Hobhouse coming out to this
18country for a short time. She wants me to go back with her in December,
19 but I don’t know if I can manage it.
20
21 For some months I’ve not been able to lie down at night, have to
22sleep sitting in a chair if ever I do sleep, & that does not give one
23much rest.
24
25 I hope your dear mother is feeling better & more comforted for the
26loss of her dear son. Give her my love when you write. Do you know
27when that Womans Monument to be unveiled? Emily Hobhouse doesn’t
28tell me when she’s coming out, if she does come. Will a letter find
29her still at home if I write now?
30
31 Love to you all dear, & many many thanks for the lovely fruit.
32
33 Thine ever
34 Olive Schreiner
35
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37