"Victoria Falls fill one with joy" Read the full letter
| Letter Reference | Olive Schreiner BC16/Box3/Fold1/1902/24 |
| Archive | University of Cape Town, Manuscripts & Archives, Cape Town |
| Epistolary Type | Letter |
| Letter Date | After Start: Sunday 20 July 1902 ; Before End: 27 July 1902 |
| Address From | Hanover, Northern Cape |
| Address To | |
| Who To | Frances ('Fan') Schreiner nee Reitz |
| Other Versions | |
| 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. The month and year have been written on this letter in an unknown hand. At the end of the letter and upside down is: ?Hanover June 17 / 02?, which with content provides the basis for dating the letter.
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1
Sunday night
2
3 Dear Fan
4
5 Thank you so much for writing to me. I’m glad you all had such a
6good time. It seems almost impossible to us here.
7
8I moved into our little house the day before yesterday have been in
9bed ever since till this evening. I hope it was only the packing &
10moving that made me so, but fear the house is a little bit damp &
11mouldy. It’s such a funny little house, the oldest house in the town
12but one. Its part of the original farm. But it seems so grand to be in
13a house of ones own after wandering for three years.
14
15 Cron is going down to Cape Town in September to unreadable see his
16mother & attend his brothers wedding, & then I shall have news of you
17all.
18
19 Did I tell you I’ve got a little Bushman boy at last? Such a joy &
20comfort to me – he washes the pots! He can’t do any house work,
21but he fetches the water & washes the pots & that seems like heaven to me.
22
23 When is my group coming?? How is the little mother?
24
25 I meant to go to Johannesburg this week, but on account of being unfit
26again have had to put it off. The Rev. Meiring has kindly asked me
27through Smuts to go & stay with them the couple of days I am in
28Johannesburg; & then I will go & spend a day at Pretoria with Isie
29Smuts. I know my chest won’t let me stay longer. If I can I shall
30leave about the 21st Mr Meiring lives next door but one to our old
31house.
32
33 I long to see you all unreadable very much but there doesn’t seem
34any chance. I shall have spent all my money in going to Johannesburg,
35though I am going up on on my old ticket! of three years ago.
36
37 Yesterday was Coronation day. I was in bed all day, but a Hottentot
38boy who used to be in the town guard cracked open the head of one of
39our leading town’s men, & the wealthiest farmer in the district. He
40did it with a stick with three nails in, & hit a large vein on the
41side of the head. I went to see him this evening; he is not out of
42danger yet. The natives here are something indescribable; though much
43better than they were a few months ago. I hear a number of them when
44armed with prepared sticks to the sports & said they were going to
45teach the Boers a lesson. Cilliers is an elderly man with grown up
46children. So we have our little excitements even here!
47
48 Good bye, dear.
49
50 Write to me soon.
51
52 Olive
53
54
55
2
3 Dear Fan
4
5 Thank you so much for writing to me. I’m glad you all had such a
6good time. It seems almost impossible to us here.
7
8I moved into our little house the day before yesterday have been in
9bed ever since till this evening. I hope it was only the packing &
10moving that made me so, but fear the house is a little bit damp &
11mouldy. It’s such a funny little house, the oldest house in the town
12but one. Its part of the original farm. But it seems so grand to be in
13a house of ones own after wandering for three years.
14
15 Cron is going down to Cape Town in September to unreadable see his
16mother & attend his brothers wedding, & then I shall have news of you
17all.
18
19 Did I tell you I’ve got a little Bushman boy at last? Such a joy &
20comfort to me – he washes the pots! He can’t do any house work,
21but he fetches the water & washes the pots & that seems like heaven to me.
22
23 When is my group coming?? How is the little mother?
24
25 I meant to go to Johannesburg this week, but on account of being unfit
26again have had to put it off. The Rev. Meiring has kindly asked me
27through Smuts to go & stay with them the couple of days I am in
28Johannesburg; & then I will go & spend a day at Pretoria with Isie
29Smuts. I know my chest won’t let me stay longer. If I can I shall
30leave about the 21st Mr Meiring lives next door but one to our old
31house.
32
33 I long to see you all unreadable very much but there doesn’t seem
34any chance. I shall have spent all my money in going to Johannesburg,
35though I am going up on on my old ticket! of three years ago.
36
37 Yesterday was Coronation day. I was in bed all day, but a Hottentot
38boy who used to be in the town guard cracked open the head of one of
39our leading town’s men, & the wealthiest farmer in the district. He
40did it with a stick with three nails in, & hit a large vein on the
41side of the head. I went to see him this evening; he is not out of
42danger yet. The natives here are something indescribable; though much
43better than they were a few months ago. I hear a number of them when
44armed with prepared sticks to the sports & said they were going to
45teach the Boers a lesson. Cilliers is an elderly man with grown up
46children. So we have our little excitements even here!
47
48 Good bye, dear.
49
50 Write to me soon.
51
52 Olive
53
54
55