Letter from Frances Hodgkins to Isabel Field
Date
29 Aug 1897
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Object Detail
Date
29 Aug 1897
Transcript
Nevada Sunday evening
My dearest Sis
Your welcome letter reached us on Friday, and very glad we were to hear from you. Mother has not been at all well since my last letter or you would have had a line from her before this. Indeed she has never been well since we moved into this house, she has had her old enemy intergestion and internal pain with sleepless nights and in consequence she is looking thin and far from well. She thinks if she could go into the country for a week or two she might get better so I have written about lodgings at Purakanui but as yet have had no answer. I think myself if she got a complete change of air and diet it might benefit her, she has to diet herself in the most rigorous fashion, but I think myself it has been a slight attack of inflammation which would account for the sickness and pain. However tonight she seems much better and the medicine she got from the doctor seems to have done her good. She has not been overworking herself either in the home or the garden and she stays in bed to breakfast and takes porter so she you see gives herself every chance of getting better. Poor Mother I hate to see her ailing she is such a stoic with it all too and so different from our other parent in the matter of endurance. Father on the other hand is much better both in health and spirits and actually asked me for a piece of stretched paper today. You can imagine I was pleased for he has taken no interest in painting for a long time and several times has said he would never touch a brush again. I have every hope that if he weathers this winter safely that he will with care be as strong as ever he was. Father of course being so much better it will make it easier for Mother and myself to get away for a week. Mary will take every care of him and Dr Scott being so close, we can leave with an easy mind. I enclose you May’s letter which you will find excellent reading. Mother thinks she should open all May’s future letters as she thinks this one is a highly improper epistle for an innocent young creature like me to receive! Sent it me back when read. I hope for May’s sake that he [page missing]
[Post script} Don’t worry about Mother, for I am sure she will be quite well again in a few days, and besides there is so much sickness about at present, it is a trying time of the year and at present it is bitterly cold.
My dearest Sis
Your welcome letter reached us on Friday, and very glad we were to hear from you. Mother has not been at all well since my last letter or you would have had a line from her before this. Indeed she has never been well since we moved into this house, she has had her old enemy intergestion and internal pain with sleepless nights and in consequence she is looking thin and far from well. She thinks if she could go into the country for a week or two she might get better so I have written about lodgings at Purakanui but as yet have had no answer. I think myself if she got a complete change of air and diet it might benefit her, she has to diet herself in the most rigorous fashion, but I think myself it has been a slight attack of inflammation which would account for the sickness and pain. However tonight she seems much better and the medicine she got from the doctor seems to have done her good. She has not been overworking herself either in the home or the garden and she stays in bed to breakfast and takes porter so she you see gives herself every chance of getting better. Poor Mother I hate to see her ailing she is such a stoic with it all too and so different from our other parent in the matter of endurance. Father on the other hand is much better both in health and spirits and actually asked me for a piece of stretched paper today. You can imagine I was pleased for he has taken no interest in painting for a long time and several times has said he would never touch a brush again. I have every hope that if he weathers this winter safely that he will with care be as strong as ever he was. Father of course being so much better it will make it easier for Mother and myself to get away for a week. Mary will take every care of him and Dr Scott being so close, we can leave with an easy mind. I enclose you May’s letter which you will find excellent reading. Mother thinks she should open all May’s future letters as she thinks this one is a highly improper epistle for an innocent young creature like me to receive! Sent it me back when read. I hope for May’s sake that he [page missing]
[Post script} Don’t worry about Mother, for I am sure she will be quite well again in a few days, and besides there is so much sickness about at present, it is a trying time of the year and at present it is bitterly cold.
Pages
4 pages
Sender's address
Nevada
Institutional No.
MS-Papers-0085-06
Credit Line
Letters
from
Frances
Hodgkins.
Field,
Isabel
Jane,
1867-1950
:
Correspondence
of
Frances
Hodgkins
and
family
/
collected
by
Isabel
Field.
Ref:
MS-Papers-0085-06.
Alexander
Turnbull
Library,
Wellington,
New
Zealand.
https://natlib.govt.nz/records/22902955
https://natlib.govt.nz/records/22902955