Identifier: lifelettersoffre00shie (find matches)
Title: The life and letters of Frederic Shields
Year: 1912 (1910s)
Authors: Shields, Frederic, 1833-1911 Mills, Ernestine Bell, ed
Subjects: Shields, Frederic, 1833-1911
Publisher: London New York (etc.) : Longmans
Contributing Library: Boston Public Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Boston Public Library

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and his anxiety was intense to find some per-manent situation for his beloved son. During his illnesshe seems to have written to his cousin, of whom he hadlost sight since early boyhood, Dr. A. G. Scott, then ofUniversity College, and was deeply pained that no replycame. This arose from the loss of the letter, received justas Dr. Scott was removing from London to Manchester,a loss which Frederic Shields used to say probablyentailed years of misery to myself, for its object wasto enlist the Doctors interest in his boy, who he knewwould soon be left desolate. At last the father foundhim a place at wages of five shillings a week witha Scotchman named Cowan, a mercantile lithographerin Manchester. Almost immediately the fathers statebecame more acute, and he had to return to Londonalone, to seek admission to the Brompton Hospital.Frederic Shields wrote of this period of his life:—Ina low quarter of the town, Cupids Alley, I founda lodging at 2s. 6d. weekly, leaving 2s. 6d. for food and
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£ £ uj fc W T3 W Jh H fc >» ^ -Q o a c4 ^ U a3 Q HARD TIMES 15 clothing. I used to buy a bag of Indian meal for theweek, and this served for all my meals, while my dresswore shabbier and my shoes wore out with little marginto amend them. Then Cowan failed, and I was withoutany opening and friendless in the great city. I wanderedfrom public-house to public-house, offering for a pennyto sketch the profile of any man there, but few were mypaltry gains. One day he wandered to Worsley andsketched the hall and the church. He writes to hisfather:— Manchester, August 2nd, 1849. My dear Father,—I received your kind letter onTuesday. I have also to thank you for the IllustratedNews you sent me. It -is a splendid number; the prizecattle, and the views of the cascade, and the Gap ofDunloe are worthy of any work. Often as I lie in bed I think of your thin body andface, and in my fancy see you beside me. Are you gettingany stouter with your increase of streng

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