Our Family History
The Genealogy of the Story Family
Caroline Sophia Henrietta Reid
1817 -
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Lt. Col. Robert Story - Letters 1887 & 1888
Letters mostly from his mother Caroline
July 24th 1887
Salisbury Lodge
36 Canynge Square
Clifton, Bristol
July 24th 1887
My dear Robert
I beg your acceptance of the enclosed cheque.
I had as usual an indecent scrawl from Mr. Tatlow as a man of business. He said Robert's account is actually over drawn a little as he had had from me & no prospect of me getting another shilling from him before October & no living man can say that between Ministerial concessions & the short harvest will be the results this winter. If Robert writes to me as I told him I will arrange a £100 or £150 advance for him.
I cannot understand these paras, who is this Robert?
This was all you business which is bad enough. I am writing to him today to tell him I will not take my jointure till you get a clear £100 & the you ought to get an once paid down £150 or I hope more as £50 I promised you - so do not go into the blues & sell off or do anything foolish, let me know from time to time how you stand for I shall not call for jointure until you are supplied. Through sorrow & loss of my bright boy. I am supplied with certainty, & feel sure he would think this the best way in helping you, in return for his wish to help me and his brothers and sisters,
It is useless for you to get the money in advance from Mr. Tatlow, you would only make matters worse, for you could never pay it back to him, in the present state of affairs. He says Mr Moore is still nibbling after Bingfield & asked me if I would take less rent, well I think we should agree to take what we can get - but I will not lay out £150 unless he will take it on lease, which he does not want to do. I think you will agree with me on this point, it shall be put in good repair, but only if he takes it on lease, not as a yearly tenant.
I hope you had a good time at the review. I was so glad to see Floré & Vida so well.
Ever your affect Mother
Caroline Story
30th July 1888
Pension Lisirius
Wiesbaden - Germany
30th July 1888
My dear Robert
As of course from time to time I would like to know how Floré is and also Vida I write a few lines today to tell you that my plans are rather changed. Frances on Saturday complained of a little lump in his throat, and yesterday morning I found him so poorly I called in a doctor, he has a slight attack of diphtheria, I was uneasy about him last night, but he is definitely better this afternoon & had got down a cup of clear soup with a little crumbled sponge cake. It appears on Wednesday he and Florie walked to Sihlangauber about 7m from this, It was a lovely day and very hot - they were without wraps or umbrellas after leaving Seh. to get to Elville the station for this on the Rhine - it began to rain and they had about 4m to walk and then came on a fierce storm of thunder & lightning they say it was awful & and the darkness so great the train came in ½ an hour late & then came a struggle for places. On leaving Lehlangauber an umbrella had been lent to them but in the strife and darkness no umbrella could be held up so they were very wet, and had to sit in wet things. Florie was none the worse, but Francis is full of mercury & such a wetting is very bad for him. He said Friday he did not feel well, but stupid boy went and sat out late.
I am greatly feared for his eyes they look so bad today, he had just got his glasses with the slide, but I fear he will not see a line when he gets up. Of course there is no moving from this so I have taken these rooms for a week, & are most comfortable here, then I will let you know where we go to. I was up at Florie's school today and we were caught in torrents of rain & it is of no use attempting to go into the Swiss mountains unless it clears a little, or clears entirely - we are all agreed about that.
We made our way very well across via Harwich & Rotterdam & had two lovely days, then we left Cologne by train for this on Saturday, but took refuge in a church. Florie joins us here tomorrow and I am glad, as in this weather the to and fro is very difficult to manage.
It was so strange coming from Rotterdam to Cologne, a gentleman & lady were in the same carriage, the gentleman lost his luggage and was getting a German gentleman to write out a telegram for him; he pulled out his card to give his address, Judge Lespray - now I knew his father who died at 96 - & he the Judge is 80. His father was Chief Justice & I knew several of the daughters, & must have taken you as as a little boy to have seen the family who had Dr. Plunkett's house then at Bray. The Judge was so pleased when I told him who I was, & his daughter Mrs Collier was in charge of her father & Charlie knew about her as her husband is rector of East Finchley next parish to Hendon - so we had some pleasant chats by the wat.
I hope you will send me a line soon. I had a letter on Saturday from Evelyn, he is staying on at Lakeport, he liked it so much, and he is not going on at present to Vancouver, & has written for his letters which had been sent there.
Love to Floré, from your affect Mother
Caroline Story
August 26th 1888
Pension Utz
Werderstrasse 8
Freiberg im Breislau
Germany
Sunday August 26th 1888
My dearest Robert
I received your letter last night telling me of the passing away of our dear Floré. I trust she was spared suffering at the close, after a year of often great sufferings - poor darling such a close of pain to one who I will say was about the most unselfish creature I ever met. You must have been thankful when the release came at last - the last hymn she was reading when I parted was the one "He may come at midnight" and so her call did come to her, well prepared for it. I am sure Arthur will come to you and certainly Lou if she can get away, which she will be sure to make a point of doing if possible. We were all so sorry not to gather round you in this your first great sorrow, & I fear many days of great desolation are before you, days in which no man can comfort you, but I trust the word will come to you "I will not leave you comfortless I will come to you". I read those words last night & thought of you dear Robert & of your sorrowing child - poor dear Vida her heart was bound up in her gentle mother, & with her very sensitive mind she will feel her loss acutely. Later on you may be able to write more fully to me, but this must only be when the pressure is a little off you of carrying out the last sad duties.
I trust you will have no trouble with the family but at this time at least all will be peace and harmony. Louie will feel it perhaps more than any of the family & will feel it intensely returning to Kelston Villa.
I will let you know what our plans are. We left peaceful Jugenheim on Thursday the 23rd. I did so with regret, the place was quiet & it suited me well. we are in a large pension here, but we shall not stay I think, the girls have a nice airy room but the one I have is not wholesome to sleep in, and Freiberg is a very hot place - we spent the evening yesterday in the mountains, going up by rail, and got a lovely blow of fresh air.
I always leave my address, & if I can we shall move back towards Wiesbaden shortly stopping at Triberg & Heidelberg, the former place stands high in the Black Forest, & will be perfect country. Fran is greatly out of strength & I think the mountain air will be good for him - but in all our movements our thoughts turn to you & your child & may God be with, & may you seek Him perhaps more earnestly than you have ever done before, to be your kind and great councillor - & with much love from your sisters and Fran,
from your affect Mother
I return the enclosed, I fear the reply will be a great disappointment to you. I will write to Aunt Fanny, as she is always interested in you.Caroline Story
My address will be Prinz Carl Hotel, Heidelberg in case you want me. I will write this in the hope it may interest you a little. I dare say be the time this reaches you, you will have your little daughter back again, I feel glad just at first she will have Emily with her, not to make too great a change all at once with her. I really think it would be too hard on you to part with everything at once. I hope Harman will give a good report of the case when you consult him, you must remember that Nevile's case might have gone on for ever so much longer had it not been for the Richmond man & we believe had we seen him at first he would have been cured, but it is perhaps well with Vida to be very careful of experiments.
(a bit torn off here)
I must close now, and with love from the sisters and Fran.
Ever yr affect Mother
My dear RobertCaroline StorySept 1888
Hotel HollandBaden BadenGermanySept. 16th 1888
As my eldest son I think you ought always to know where I am to be found, so I sent you a card before leaving Triberg & very sorry we were to leave. Lately it seemed a place people came to, slept a night & passed on, but we where there a fortnight and enjoyed greatly the advantages and variety of the place.
We went our last day for the day out, it was a very long drive, but it gave us a good idea of the beauties of the Black Forest & we came to one valley the like of which I had never seen, so narrow and above still to be seen the ruins of the castles of the Robber Knights of old - we came to a town of the name of Scrumberg where was a large pottery manufacturer and straw works, it took us so long to view the former we had no time for the straw; but the pottery was most amusing, they had dozens of cups ready "For a good child" English market - quantities of the things we know in Gardens shop, quantities of china from China & Japan and of course excellent imitations, & some prettily painted, I bought one little thing, as I was expected to do for 2/0 usually sold for 7/0 or 8/0.
Yesterday we had a very tiring day the weather is like June so hot, so baking yesterday as we left Triberg a little after 10 & went to Strasburg to see the Cathedral, it was about an hour out of our way here. We sat down and heard part of Vespers and had rather a hunt to catch our train back, Fran never told me before we started in the morning that he was very tired, it was a bad day with him altogether, as when we got to the Cathedral he could not see anything and was nearly fainting on the platform at Strasburg, fortunately we got him into the carriage & he fell asleep, but we did not get here until 7.30.
We are comfortably lodged with nice fresh air blowing in at our windows at the top of the house. We were at church this morning, a very pretty church put up in memory of the B. of Ripon's son Bickersteth who died here some years back. The service we suppose was chanted by German boys - very sweetly, tho' very slowly - as is their wont. Baden Baden lies very prettily -- I stopped writing here and took a turn on the heights, but it was thick and set in very wet. I could not find anyone in my travels who would recommend me an abode here, so I selected two hotels, the first too expensive, & this one offered to take me en pension, so I agreed for 8m a day - I said I wd not go higher. Well this was to be second floor or third I wd not object to if good rooms were given; when I arrived the man said all second floor engaged, then he said he cd only give us back rooms for 8m, I declined the rooms. Then he offered to give the girls a front room & Fran and I back ones - but I had had enough of Pension Utz in Freiberg - he suggested then he would charge 8.50m for the girls' room, I spoke very quietly to him & told him I would just stay for the night and look out today, so he at once said sooner than relet the rooms we could have them for 8m each. So I have one in which fresh air comes in & so have the others, the consequence is however that they are by no means civil to us - it is so nice as far as place goes we intend looking out for a cheaper locality, but you may suppose my interview with the manager was by no means pleasant.
Florie must be in a school on the 29th so I must be there at that date. I hope weather will still favour us for Heidelberg as Fran wants to see the castle. I think he is in a very delicate state of health, he really is not up to much of any kind.
Remember in all probability Neuhausen is the village for the Falls of the Rhine the pictures of which we all know. We put up in the Scheitzerhof exactly opposite the falls, but 1½m from the bridge which crosses the Rhine. I thought so much of you, it is the only place I have been in as an Hotel and situation that would do at all for you and Vida for long. There is a very large garden belonging to the hotel & a pretty church in the grounds. 9 francs a day the charge for board and lodging, a bath, 3rd floor. We were on the 4th floor and had 89 steps to go up and down - but narrow flat stairs. It is a lovely spot - we had return tickets or wd have taken the boat to Constance & made the circular round but this we had no time for and I make it a point never to rush - so having seen the falls in every possible way, yesterday at midday we went on to Schafftenseu, not much to be seen there, only the old Minster and the bell which was the cause of Schiller's beautiful Lied. I have climbed up many places but never climbed the like to see this bell. The only other thing of great interest was an onyx larger than I have drawn (about 32" by 2") no one knows its history, it is with laurel and holding a cornucopia with a trident & all round magnificent stones - the whole thing set in gold. We took a 5 train and got back here by 8.30.
The weather so hot for the last 3 days, but I think there is a change coming on again for rain. We are so quietly comfortable here, more quiet than though I were in Clifton, there are very fine falls here, & as I am writing to you, the low rushing of the stream is below me, though the falls are 10m from the hotel. The house and the whole town lighted by electric light, of course the power of the water is so great.
I do not know at all, dear Robert whether this letter will interest you or not, I write it because I think it might a little, & it is useless to repeat & repeat what you know I feel - & your sorrow and trouble till our time comes round & we go to rest too & still the world will, and must, go on whether we are here or no.
I am with love from Fran and yr sisters
ever your affect Mother
Caroline Story
| Date | 1887 |
| Linked to | Caroline Sophia Henrietta Reid; Lt. Col. Robert Story |
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