1 Hanover
2 Feb 21 / 04
3
4 Dear old Sister
5
6 Some how I’ve been thinking so much of you the last days. I hope you
7are all having a fine time at St James. What a pity I can’t stand
8the sea air & come & spend a little time with you while Cron goes to
9Parliament. I am not going to stay on in Hanover – that is one thing.
10 This place is a nightmare. I only stay here because Cron is here. I
11should have left it the day the military set one free after the war, &
12never have seen it again if I could.
13
14 Cron’s clerk is thought by the doctors to be very likely dying with
15typhoid there were four new cases yesterday.
16
17 Cron has got some of the leading men here to sign a letter asking the
18Government to send a specialist up from Cape Town to try & discover
19the the cause of this terrible out break not only of typhoid but of
20all other stomach diseases. There is no sickness ^of the kind^ in
21Richmond, or Beaufort or Cradock so it must be something peculiar to
22this place & not in the air generally.
23
24 One of my neighbours killed my little meerkat Emmie yesterday, & so we
25have had to kill her four little ones because they couldn’t drink
26milk & would have died of hunger. I’m not going to keep pets any
27more. Do you know of any one who is very fond of animals & hasn’t
28any little children to tease them not who would like a meerkat. Ask
29Dot please if she thinks the Beck’s would like one. The two old
30meerkats of course I will always keep till someone kills them, but the
31three little ones I was don’t want to get so fond of.
32
33 Later I hear parliament meets on the 4th of March.
34
35 Love to all.
36 Good bye dear.
37 Olive
38
39 ^I have had a letter from Major Marriott’s wife’s relative. He says
40Marriott died just after he landed in England. Do you know of any
41boarding house high up near Tamboer’s Kloof or on that side of the
42mountain where I could stay if I come down on the 4th if you do please
43write it to me sharp that I may write dear.^
44