"Standing by what you write" Read the full letter
Letter Reference | Olive Schreiner BC16/Box1/Fold3/1896/31 |
Archive | University of Cape Town, Manuscripts & Archives, Cape Town |
Epistolary Type | Letter |
Letter Date | 8 October 1896 |
Address From | The Homestead, Kimberley, Northern Cape |
Address To | |
Who To | Frances (?Fan?) Schreiner nee Reitz |
Other Versions | Rive 1987: 290-1 |
Permissions | Please 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.
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1
The Homestead
2 Oct 8 / 96
3
4 Dear Fan
5
6 It was ever such a surprise to me to hear you were all at the dear old
7Kowie. Mother was much delighted with the visit, but seems able to
8talk of little but Dot who quite stole away her heart. I knew mother
9would be very fond of her.
10
11 We had a delightful time at the Kowie, but I had a mishap, the third
12I’ve had since my baby’s birth, when we were at Baviaans River.
13The first one I had hardly seemed to make me ill at all. I kept about
14my work, & was as strong as ever in a weeks time. The second one made
15me pretty weak, but this one seems quite to have prostrated me. It is
16a month ago now & I feel weaker than I did two days after the birth of
17my baby. Do you ever feel so weak, & have such pains in your legs &
18back after such a mishap? I do wish there were women doctors. I’ve
19had two doctors here, & neither of them have given me any consolation
20except tell me I must lay on my back for six months if ever I want to
21have a live child – which of course I can’t do. It would be so
22nice to have a woman doctor who had gone through everything herself. I
23am so glad to hear dear old Nell is engaged. I hope the man is good
24enough for her but I think she would choose wisely
25
26^I’ve got such a good little Kaffir boy, of about 12 as a servant.
27He’s such a comfort to me.^
28OS
29
30^ NB Tell me all the news when you write.^
31
32
33
2 Oct 8 / 96
3
4 Dear Fan
5
6 It was ever such a surprise to me to hear you were all at the dear old
7Kowie. Mother was much delighted with the visit, but seems able to
8talk of little but Dot who quite stole away her heart. I knew mother
9would be very fond of her.
10
11 We had a delightful time at the Kowie, but I had a mishap, the third
12I’ve had since my baby’s birth, when we were at Baviaans River.
13The first one I had hardly seemed to make me ill at all. I kept about
14my work, & was as strong as ever in a weeks time. The second one made
15me pretty weak, but this one seems quite to have prostrated me. It is
16a month ago now & I feel weaker than I did two days after the birth of
17my baby. Do you ever feel so weak, & have such pains in your legs &
18back after such a mishap? I do wish there were women doctors. I’ve
19had two doctors here, & neither of them have given me any consolation
20except tell me I must lay on my back for six months if ever I want to
21have a live child – which of course I can’t do. It would be so
22nice to have a woman doctor who had gone through everything herself. I
23am so glad to hear dear old Nell is engaged. I hope the man is good
24enough for her but I think she would choose wisely
25
26^I’ve got such a good little Kaffir boy, of about 12 as a servant.
27He’s such a comfort to me.^
28OS
29
30^ NB Tell me all the news when you write.^
31
32
33
Notation
Rive's (1987) version of this letter omits part of it.
Rive's (1987) version of this letter omits part of it.