Letters
TCG Letter #1238
From
Mabel Tolkien
To
Roland Suffield
Date
16 July 1894
Type
Autograph Letter Signed
Transcript
Complete
In a letter to her brother, Roland Suffield, Mabel sends news of life in Bloemfontein, Orange Free StateLater established as South Africa in 1910[1] with details of her two boys, Ronald and Hilary. The letter demonstrates Mabel's keen sense of humour and is especially enlightening of the life they lived at that time. Arthur and Mabel had taken up golf, the boys were growing well and Mabel gives a rather fascinating insight into Ronald's early intelligence and humour with some quotes from him, one, specially showing Ronald's imagination and at two and a half years old he was a very funny, and witty boy. She says that "Ronald has come in & says "Tell Uncle Wolly, I send him a leeeetle kiss, & I'se got a lot of money in my money box, & I am going to buy a great big bicle 'orse (bicycle-horse) & ride for 2, 4, 9, 10 days right over the sea to England...".
1 Later established as South Africa in 1910 ↩