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Letter ReferenceOlive Schreiner BC16/Box1/Fold1/1890/3
ArchiveUniversity of Cape Town, Manuscripts & Archives, Cape Town
Epistolary TypeLetter
Letter Date3 June 1890
Address FromMatjesfontein, Western Cape
Address To
Who ToFrances ('Fan') Schreiner nee Reitz
Other VersionsRive 1987: 173
PermissionsPlease read before using or citing this transcription
Legend
The Project is grateful to Manuscripts and Archives, University of Cape Town, for kindly allowing us to transcribe this Olive Schreiner letter, which is part of its Manuscripts and Archives Collections. Rive's (1987) version omits part of this letter and is also in a number of respects incorrect.
1 Matjesfontein
2 June 3 / 90
3
4 My dear Fan,
5
6 I have been sitting up all night with a man who is dying of
7consumption & that makes me very stupid. I’m so sorry you are going
8to leave Mount Vernon. The gardens are so beautiful, I think if I had
9to live in one place all my life I should choose the gardens in Cape
10Town. I do hope you will succeed in getting a place not too far from
11your old Mother. It makes all the difference if one can just run in &
12out or has to come in from Rondebosch or Sea Point. I am not sure
13whether I shall come to Cape Town at the end of the month. If I feel
14better I shall not; just now I am feeling played out, & want to forget
15my work for a few days, because I shall work faster when I come back.
16I love Matjesfontein very much, every one is so polite to me here. It
17is such a peaceful life. We are having beautiful weather here now. The
18sky clear blue from morning till night.
19
20 How is Mr John Reitz’s leg?
21
22 Yes, isn’t Mrs Fuller a dear old thing, a regular mother, though she
23has no children. Their friendship has been a very valuable thing to me,
24 little as I have seen of them. I hardly know what I’m writing
25tonight I’m so tired. I got such a nice nice letter from one of my
26old school children this week. She is living near Cradock & has three
27children & wants me to come & spend some months with her. She is
28married to an Englishman. I hope all goes well with Kittie & young Mrs
29Gie.
30
31 The station master’s wife over the way has just got a little son.
32
33 Good bye. Your stupid little sister
34 Olive
35
36 Please ask Will to send me this months money from Fred as I am in want
37of it. I want ^him^ if he will please ^to^ send me several small cheques
38or two of 30/- each & to subtract the money for the handkerchiefs &c.
39
40
41