Letter from Frances Hodgkins to Isabel Field
Date
26 Jun 1895
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Object Detail
Date
26 Jun 1895
Transcript
Melrose June 26th ‘95
My dearest Sis
Just a few lines before bedtime to thank you for your cheery letter which was hailed with delight. I am so glad the Babs is all right again, poor little kiddie she must have had a bad time and so must you for that matter. Miss Fraser wrote down to Mrs Cargill that she had never seen such a lovable child or so pretty a house. Mrs Cargill seems to get along wonderfully well with the new baby - which is a fine child. She still has Mrs F Cargill with her. Alice McGowan is a brick and often takes the baby out for her: the ginger cordial is quite cemented between them tho’ Mrs Cargill loves her none the “more”. Alice lives like a lady and has hardly anything to do with her 2 servants. Her baby is small and not over intelligent with a great capacity for keeping quiet. Alice rather prides herself on this but I believe that other night it played up in the most unusual manner. She had the Butterworths to dinner and they were half way thro dinner and the domestic was frying cheese straws for dear life in the kitchen (the little girl goes home at six) when the baby turned up. Alice & Robert played the spartan Mother & Father as long as possible till at last Alice boldly ordered in the baby, and she says Robert was so shocked that all conversation immediately left him and he stared at the baby till the end of the meal. This is table talk with a vengeance, & you can imagine news is at a premium when I retail such small beer. Willie has just told me that Mrs Butterworth was taken very ill last night with an internal abscess and has two doctors. I hope there is nothing very serious. They are so happy and comfortable. She has made everything about her so dainty and pretty. It is a bad beginning doctors and their bills. I had a note from her and Kate Rattray only the other day asking me to design a dress for the Golf Club.
Lillie Grummitt stayed a night with me last week and told us all about the Ziele wedding at which she officiated as prettiest bridesmaid. In the vestry while signing the registrar the groomsmen fell upon the unfortunate bridesmaids and kissed them all round and a general melee enused when Mr Harris attempted to kiss his girl who screamed wildly and was heard in church where upon Dr Roberts immediately got up & followed by his wife and little boy hastily disappeared and after a long delay the whole party appeared looking very excited. I went to see the wedding with the Rattrays and the crush reminded me of that day we went to see Georgie Wilford turned off. I believe Miss Ziele made the most self possessed bride ever seen here. She managed and directed everything up till the last moment and Willie said he heard her say, when saying goodbye to her mother whom she wont see again as they went straight to Sydney, “well goodbye Mother dear – oh where’s my mackintosh!”
The McLarens Kate Rattray and I walked out to the Cliffs on Saturday. Poor Helen is a dreadful wreck, it is creeping paralysis with her, which means the beginning of the end. Kate never fails to ask after you & the kiddlie. Our visit to the Cliffs wasn’t altogether a pleasant one. What with two ferocious dogs and a vicious monkey we were nearly scared out of our wits, but if I am a coward, Kate Rattray is a ten times bigger one. I never saw a girl retreat so well as she did when the dogs advanced.
The Kahanga still flourishes tho’ not altogether like a green bay leaf. I have refused to do anything so far except programmes as I am pretty busy and it does distract one; but I have promised to do something for Mrs Sinclair Thompson for next night. I have only been to 2 meetings this year, the nights have been so bad & the roads are dreadful one thinks twice before going out. I have got my competition head finished at last and Father is quite excited about it and has hunted up an elaborate title for it and a verse of poetry, which he is going to get inscribed on a plate to be put on the frame! I haven’t the heart not to agree with him so for once he is going to get his own way. He says that if I call it a “Head of an Old Woman” which it is, he will forbid me sending it.
We had a telegram from Uncle Sandie saying Aunt Bella has got a nurse and there is no need for Mother to go up – she is still in bed but very weak.
I hope you will find a use for the gaiters, they are scarcely worth sending you but they will keep her warm while creeping about. I have got a pattern of a dutch hood and I am going to try and worry one out, but I expect it will be about ready for the “next of kin”. I have never been down to see Mrs Scott for ages so I have never told her your news, perhaps you have written yourself. I don’t think from all accounts Mrs Rose is left so badly off. Mrs Martin says Grace says she wont tell anybody about her affairs but that will only leave all the more for Mrs Martin to tell!
Clara keeps haughtily aloof and never comes near us but we hear from Ethel accounts of her gadding and a very weary sister Emma looking after Geordie! Ethel is a lady and lives in clover at Mrs Herbert Webb, and takes music lessons but can’t play when asked: that is the advantage of taking lessons! If anything Ethel is more objectional than ever as a lady! I am getting spiteful so its time I stopped.
I enclose a letter from Dora Meeson you may like to read it. With fond love to you both every your loving sister Fanny
I think that was lovely about Maudie Butterworth and the bath. We call her K.C.B. I wish you would tell us how she is getting on nobody seems to know down here except that she doesn’t seem to care about the work. Fanny
My dearest Sis
Just a few lines before bedtime to thank you for your cheery letter which was hailed with delight. I am so glad the Babs is all right again, poor little kiddie she must have had a bad time and so must you for that matter. Miss Fraser wrote down to Mrs Cargill that she had never seen such a lovable child or so pretty a house. Mrs Cargill seems to get along wonderfully well with the new baby - which is a fine child. She still has Mrs F Cargill with her. Alice McGowan is a brick and often takes the baby out for her: the ginger cordial is quite cemented between them tho’ Mrs Cargill loves her none the “more”. Alice lives like a lady and has hardly anything to do with her 2 servants. Her baby is small and not over intelligent with a great capacity for keeping quiet. Alice rather prides herself on this but I believe that other night it played up in the most unusual manner. She had the Butterworths to dinner and they were half way thro dinner and the domestic was frying cheese straws for dear life in the kitchen (the little girl goes home at six) when the baby turned up. Alice & Robert played the spartan Mother & Father as long as possible till at last Alice boldly ordered in the baby, and she says Robert was so shocked that all conversation immediately left him and he stared at the baby till the end of the meal. This is table talk with a vengeance, & you can imagine news is at a premium when I retail such small beer. Willie has just told me that Mrs Butterworth was taken very ill last night with an internal abscess and has two doctors. I hope there is nothing very serious. They are so happy and comfortable. She has made everything about her so dainty and pretty. It is a bad beginning doctors and their bills. I had a note from her and Kate Rattray only the other day asking me to design a dress for the Golf Club.
Lillie Grummitt stayed a night with me last week and told us all about the Ziele wedding at which she officiated as prettiest bridesmaid. In the vestry while signing the registrar the groomsmen fell upon the unfortunate bridesmaids and kissed them all round and a general melee enused when Mr Harris attempted to kiss his girl who screamed wildly and was heard in church where upon Dr Roberts immediately got up & followed by his wife and little boy hastily disappeared and after a long delay the whole party appeared looking very excited. I went to see the wedding with the Rattrays and the crush reminded me of that day we went to see Georgie Wilford turned off. I believe Miss Ziele made the most self possessed bride ever seen here. She managed and directed everything up till the last moment and Willie said he heard her say, when saying goodbye to her mother whom she wont see again as they went straight to Sydney, “well goodbye Mother dear – oh where’s my mackintosh!”
The McLarens Kate Rattray and I walked out to the Cliffs on Saturday. Poor Helen is a dreadful wreck, it is creeping paralysis with her, which means the beginning of the end. Kate never fails to ask after you & the kiddlie. Our visit to the Cliffs wasn’t altogether a pleasant one. What with two ferocious dogs and a vicious monkey we were nearly scared out of our wits, but if I am a coward, Kate Rattray is a ten times bigger one. I never saw a girl retreat so well as she did when the dogs advanced.
The Kahanga still flourishes tho’ not altogether like a green bay leaf. I have refused to do anything so far except programmes as I am pretty busy and it does distract one; but I have promised to do something for Mrs Sinclair Thompson for next night. I have only been to 2 meetings this year, the nights have been so bad & the roads are dreadful one thinks twice before going out. I have got my competition head finished at last and Father is quite excited about it and has hunted up an elaborate title for it and a verse of poetry, which he is going to get inscribed on a plate to be put on the frame! I haven’t the heart not to agree with him so for once he is going to get his own way. He says that if I call it a “Head of an Old Woman” which it is, he will forbid me sending it.
We had a telegram from Uncle Sandie saying Aunt Bella has got a nurse and there is no need for Mother to go up – she is still in bed but very weak.
I hope you will find a use for the gaiters, they are scarcely worth sending you but they will keep her warm while creeping about. I have got a pattern of a dutch hood and I am going to try and worry one out, but I expect it will be about ready for the “next of kin”. I have never been down to see Mrs Scott for ages so I have never told her your news, perhaps you have written yourself. I don’t think from all accounts Mrs Rose is left so badly off. Mrs Martin says Grace says she wont tell anybody about her affairs but that will only leave all the more for Mrs Martin to tell!
Clara keeps haughtily aloof and never comes near us but we hear from Ethel accounts of her gadding and a very weary sister Emma looking after Geordie! Ethel is a lady and lives in clover at Mrs Herbert Webb, and takes music lessons but can’t play when asked: that is the advantage of taking lessons! If anything Ethel is more objectional than ever as a lady! I am getting spiteful so its time I stopped.
I enclose a letter from Dora Meeson you may like to read it. With fond love to you both every your loving sister Fanny
I think that was lovely about Maudie Butterworth and the bath. We call her K.C.B. I wish you would tell us how she is getting on nobody seems to know down here except that she doesn’t seem to care about the work. Fanny
Pages
10 pages
Sender's address
Melrose
Institutional No.
MS-Papers-0085-03
Credit Line
Letters
from
Frances
Hodgkins.
Field,
Isabel
Jane,
1867-1950
:
Correspondence
of
Frances
Hodgkins
and
family
/
collected
by
Isabel
Field.
Ref:
MS-Papers-0085-03.
Alexander
Turnbull
Library,
Wellington,
New
Zealand.
https://natlib.govt.nz/records/22795199
https://natlib.govt.nz/records/22795199