Kjære frù Höst!

Tak for Deres brevkort, som

jeg modtog i dette öieblik, og

som jeg straks vil besvare nù

med et par ord, idet jeg samtidig

sender Dem den sidste melreg-

ning – de to förste, har jeg vistnok

kastet bort; – imidlertid har

der ikke i nogen af regningerne

været anfört belöbets störrelse,

saa jeg veed jo ikke engang akù-

rat, hvad jeg skylder – det var

straks efter krisens begyndelse

i midten (?) af augùst ifjor,

at jeg fik melet, som De var

saa venlig at reqùirere for

mig hos Meyer, – jeg fik dengang

regning og tror sikkert den

löd paa 108 Kr. og nogle öre – det var

2 sække hvede, 1 s. grynmel og 1 s. klid.

Men De maa ikke have nogen

extra uleilighed for vor skyld

med hensyn til mel, – kjender

De nogen korn-importör, som

De kùnde give mig navnet paa

og adr., saa kunde jeg jo skrive

til vedkommende og faa korn.

Korn anser nù vi her paa

landet for bedre varer end mel,

vi faar aldrig saa godt mel, som

naar vi kan faa kjöbt bedste sort

hvedekorn og male det selv.

Det samme gjælder bygkorn og-

saa; thi bygmel særlig (eller gryn-

mel som det kaldes) er svært ofte

forfalsket med kridt og talkùm.

Vi er forresten ikke i nogensom-

helst nöd, hvad mad angaar –, vi

har nù i lang tid levet paa ryper

og hjortesteg, – og det er god mad

synes jeg, – jeg er forresten næsten

vegetarianer og spiser aldrig kjöd

af andet end "vilde" dyr. –

De maa rigtig undskylde, hvad jeg

sidst skrev om kartonen – det

er imidlertid ikke sandt, at jeg

nogensinde har kjöbt denslags 

hos Norby hverken til karton el-

ler til at trykke paa – til det

sidste brug vil den være aldeles

ùmùlig – man kùnde da lettere

trykke paa malerlærred – skjöndt

dette ogsaa er ùmùligt – rigtig-

nok brugte japanerne tildels silke

T. ex. Harùnabù, men de brugte

da ikke oljefarver, men en slags

vandfarver – noget som jeg nok

ogsaa har tænkt at forsöge, men

det blir da en ganske anden slàgs

tryk med kùn transparente farver,

og træpladerne maa skjæres med

dette for öie paa en anden maade,

end jeg hidtil har gjort. Forresten

er det mærkelig med den Norby,

at han altid maa lyve lidt. Ifjor, da

han kræved mig op igjen flere gange

for et belöb, som var betalt gjennem

Kaland, saa sendte jeg Kaland regnin-

gen og Kaland – <Rasende> ned til

Norby: "Först betaler Astrup farver

som han först faar et halvt aar seneere ^{(jeg maatte vente 4-5 maaneder)}

og saa kræver De ham op igjen for pen-

gerne!" Hvortil Norby intet vidste

at svare, men diskede op med en lang

historie om en dame, som kom

ned til ham og skulde reise til Jöl-

ster og tage med sig farverne til As-

trup, – og saa fik hun farverne med

sig. Det var selvfölgelig lögn hvert

gran. Jeg fik dengang heller ikke

de farver jeg havde bestilt og betalt

men fik andre i stedet – krigen kom

i mellemtiden, og det blev ùmùligt at

skaffe, hvad jeg 4-5 maaneder i for-

veien havde bestilt. Nei nù kommer

posten. Lev vel. Bedste hilsen.

Deres hengivne Astrup

       Dear Mrs. Höst!

Thank You for Your postcard, which

I have just this second received, and

which I will now immediately respond to

with a few words, as I simultaneously

send You the latest bills 

for flour – the first two, I have evidently

thrown away; – in the meantime in

none of the bills has the

size of the amount been stated

so I don’t even know exact-

ly what I owe – it was

immediately after the start of the crisis

in the middle (?) of August last year,

that I received the flour, which You were

so kind as to requisition for

me from Meyer, – I received the bill

at the time and truly believe it

was in the amount of 108 Kroner and a few öre – there were

2 sacks of wheat, 1 s. of barley flour and 1 s. of bran.

But You must not go to any

extra bother for our sake

with regard to flour, – if 

You know any grain importer, whose

name and address You 

could give me, then I might write

to said person to obtain grain.

Grain is considered here in

the country as a better product than flour,

we never have such good flour, as

when we can get hold of the best type

of wheat kernels and grind it ourselves.

The same applies to barley grain as

well; for barley flour in particular (or groats

flour as it is called) is very often

falsified with chalk and talcum.

We are not by the way in any

kind of need, when it comes to food –, we

have for a long time now lived on grouse

and venison, – and that is good sustenance

I think, – I am incidentally almost

a vegetarian and never eat meat

of anything but "wild" animals. –

You must forgive, what I

last wrote about the illustration board – it

is not true, that I

have ever purchased that type

from Norby either as cardboard or

to print on – for the 

latter use it would be utterly

impossible – one might more easily

paint on painting canvas – although

this is also impossible – admittedly

the Japanese occasionally used silk

for example Harùnabù, but they

did not use oil paint, but a type of

watercolour – something that I 

have also thought of trying, but

then it will be a completely different type

of print with only transparent colours,

and the woodblocks must be carved with

this in mind in a different way,

than I have done until now. By the way

there is something strange about that Norby,

who always has to fabricate lies. Like last year, when

he billed me several times

for the same amount, that was paid via

Kaland, so I sent Kaland the

bill and Kaland – <Furious> [went] down to

Norby: "First Astrup pays for paints

that he gets only half a year later ^{(I had to wait 4-5 months)}

and then You demand payment from him 

again!" To which Norby did not know

how to respond, but dished out a tall

tale about a lady, who came

down to him and was going to travel to Jöl-

ster to bring paints with her for As-

trup, – and so she brought the paints with

her. It’s a lie of course every bit

of it. And then I did not receive

the paints I had ordered and paid for

but others instead – meanwhile

the war came, and it became impossible to

get hold of, what I had ordered 

4-5 months earlier. Well here comes

the postman. Be well. Best wishes.

Your devoted Astrup