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Letter ReferenceOlive Schreiner BC16/Box2/Fold4/1901/36
ArchiveUniversity of Cape Town, Manuscripts & Archives, Cape Town
Epistolary TypeLetter
Letter Date13 May 1901
Address FromHanover, Northern Cape
Address To
Who ToBetty Molteno
Other Versions
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. This letter is written on black edged mourning notepaper. The name of the addressee is indicated by salutation and content.
1 Hanover
2 May 13th 1901
3
4 My dear Friend
5
6 It’s a wild windy night, for two days & nights without any pause the
7wind has blown, a perfect blizzard, as I never knew a wind to blow
8before, bitterly cold. I am so glad to think those poor motherless
9little girls have got the warm little frocks & jackets Mrs Molteno
10sent. One little boy howled when he thought he was not going to get
11the little red jacket! He’s very proud of it.
12
13 The cold here is something wonderful. I never felt any thing like it
14in Englan Europe or South Africa. It would be glorious if one had a
15big fire to sit by, & if one had an armchair & some one one loved in a
16chair opposite to talk with it would be perfect: but there is no fire
17place in this house except a big open one in the kitchen. I hear Miss
18H-
gave much news. I was fully expecting some that I heard.
19
20 I have not heard from either you or Miss Greene for a long time. I
21hope you have not written & the letter not come. My letter from Cron
22received today Monday was written on Thursday, so is five days old!
23There is great delay with all posts now.
24
25 I enclose a cheque for £1.5. Would you or Miss Greene buy for me in
26town a all wool combination, the out woman’s size. That’s larger
27that than large womans, it’s the largest size of all. I always get
28that size because if I get the size that fits me after five or six
29months it shrinks too tight across the chest. I would write direct to
30the shop, but if one does they always seem to send the wrong thing. It
31must be thick, & warm, but not the heavy coarse kind: the finer is
32warmer & not so heavy. (I’ll send a PO order because I’m afraid if
33I send a cheque you won’t cash it, but a PO order you must or
34you’ll lose the money & I too, & only the post office gains!)
35
36 All through this awful wind I have been so anxious about my brother
37Will & his family who are out at sea on their way to Grahamstown.
38There is no news to give you here. Except that two men here who have
39come out from the prison at de Aar have typhoid very badly.
40
41 Good bye. Much love to you both.
42 Olive
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45