Anastasia in a letter to a friend during the journey to Siberia:
"Once in the evening I was looking out, we stopped near a little house...A little boy came to my window and asked 'Uncle, please give me, if you have got, a newspaper?' I said 'I am not an uncle, but an aunty and have no newspaper.' At first I could not understand why he did call me 'Uncle' but then I remembered that my hair is cut and I an the soldiers laughed very much."
I thought this was funny...the original letter was in English with some spelling issues.
It's not for certain that this is actually a letter. If I remember correctly, it was part of one of her school notebooks but is mistakenly taken as a real letter.
Here are the letters from Olga for you, Shandroise,
Olga Nikolaevna to to Margarita Khitrovo
26 December 1917
Hello Ritka my dear!
I got your letter of the 7th yesterday evening, and I thank you greatly for it. Of course I already wrote to you on Sunday, but I don't know if you will get it or not. Well, already it is the holidays. We have a Christmas Tree in the corner of the hall which gives off a wonderful smell, but not like the ones at Tsarskoe. It is a special type of tree and is called a 'balsamic fir tree'. It smells strongly of oranges and mandarins and there is always resin flowing down its trunk. We don't have any decorations just 'silver rain' and wax candles of course these are Church candles as we don't have any other. After dinner on Christmas Eve we distributed presents, for the most part our embroideries. Dividing them up and working out who will get what reminded us completely of the charitable markets in Yalta. You remember how much preparation went on always?
The Vigil service was at 10 in the evening and the Christmas tree was lit. It was beautiful and nice. The choir was big and sang well, but like at a concert, and this I do not like. Ritka, you know, we haven't had a line from Lili, and pretty much nothing since August which is strange enough, we know only through your letters. She was in Odessa. Really, could she have forgotten about us?!
I'm writing to you on the huge table in the big hall. My brother's toy soldiers are all over the table. A little way off Papa and the four children are drinking coffee, but mama is not up yet. The sun is shining onto the paper between my right arm. We finally had some snow and it added to our snow mountain. I wrote a small letter to Chern. and got a reply the next day. Please thank him and pass on our big regards to him. Katia writes, so does T. Sonya. Bibi has been silent three months and Olya Kolzakova longer. Iza has arrived but they have not released her from the house. We have only seen her from the window. Well, I'll finish here. I wish you much happiness for next year and kiss you strongly, Ritka mine. All send their regards. Mama kisses you. God be with you.
Your Olga.
Olga Nikolaevna to Rita Khritovo
Tobolsk, 3/16 February
My darling, have you received my letter from the 21st? For some reason, I want to write to you another. We heard about you from Lyubusa's mother's letter. Do you like her? We are all well and healthy. The weather is sunny and frosty. In the evening there are many stars. We walk as usual, go riding done the hill and frolic very much in the snow. It's generally all the same. I've heard nothing from Katya for a long time. So much is written in the papers about the misery that I worry there is no peace. This evening there will be vespers. Pankratov is not with us much, for the time being only the regiment, and it's unknown how long this will continue.
We are all busy learning various comedies: English and French. Has N.N. returned? How come up to now you've not seen [each other?]? And is little Chern[ychev?]. here? Give him my warmest regards if you see him. I wrote on the holiday. Three packages from Zinochki [nickname for Zinaide] so far have not arrived. I'm afraid that they've disappeared a 1 i s dukhami i t.g. received. Shura Pet[rovna?] write not long ago. Kolya has left the regiment and has gone somewhere. She and her children survive by sewing boots. Boris wrote. They are living as before in their Lazaret, and meet every day. They seem very happy. Golyb' [nickname for Golub’ev] and his wife are in Petrograd. Babochkin’s sister saw her. Al. Vlad. often writes from Vladivostock. She had an operation, and now is healthy. Bogdoanov wrote Yevgeni Sergeivich from Moscow, from the lazaret, that they are starving terribly. You hear of so much terrible suffering, terror even, but through it all I firmly believe that God will help somehow. Now there is full demobilization, and departures from that also. It is a shame, old t.k. habits. Who is Sozik? Do you know anything new about Baron or any other? I am sorry for my bad hand[writing] and paper, it is so appetizingly to write, especially to you. Give our regards to your hosts/landlords. I kiss you tenderly, my dear. God bless you. My family [lit: my nearest] send greetings to you and all, Nikolai Dmitrivich, and others who remember me.
Olga.
