"Am going to meet Rhodes, more solitary in this country than you can conceive" Read the full letter
| Letter Reference | Smuts A1/188/69 |
| Archive | National Archives Repository, Pretoria |
| Epistolary Type | Letter |
| Letter Date | 20 November 1904 |
| Address From | Hanover, 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.
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1
Hanover
2 Nov 20th 1904
3
4 Dear Isie
5
6 No, I wouldn’t think of letting you pay for my coming up; it is good
7enough of you to be willing to give me a room when every place will be
8so crowded. If you can give me us even that outside room Mr. Roos had
9it would be quite right. I shall only be able to stay the one day I
10fear. Cron says I am mad to think of going that I want to be buried on
11the same day as Oom Paul! But I mean to come; even if I can only stay
12the one day. I want so much to see Botha & de la Ray. It’s perhaps
13the only chance I shall ever have. I cat I can’t get a cart to take
14me over to the station when the train passes with the body as everyone
15wants their own carts & won’t even let me hire one for 40/-
16shillings. But there’ll be such a crowd, I don’t suppose I should
17be able to get near the train if I went. I do hope little Sannie is
18quite better again. It is this awful drought that makes everyone feel
19so bad. We are always watching the sky, but the clouds come & melt
20without any rain. I hope Ella will be able to come to Pretoria after
21all. Love to you
22
23 Olive Schreiner
24
25
2 Nov 20th 1904
3
4 Dear Isie
5
6 No, I wouldn’t think of letting you pay for my coming up; it is good
7enough of you to be willing to give me a room when every place will be
8so crowded. If you can give me us even that outside room Mr. Roos had
9it would be quite right. I shall only be able to stay the one day I
10fear. Cron says I am mad to think of going that I want to be buried on
11the same day as Oom Paul! But I mean to come; even if I can only stay
12the one day. I want so much to see Botha & de la Ray. It’s perhaps
13the only chance I shall ever have. I cat I can’t get a cart to take
14me over to the station when the train passes with the body as everyone
15wants their own carts & won’t even let me hire one for 40/-
16shillings. But there’ll be such a crowd, I don’t suppose I should
17be able to get near the train if I went. I do hope little Sannie is
18quite better again. It is this awful drought that makes everyone feel
19so bad. We are always watching the sky, but the clouds come & melt
20without any rain. I hope Ella will be able to come to Pretoria after
21all. Love to you
22
23 Olive Schreiner
24
25