The Project Gutenberg EBook of Claire, by Leslie Burton Blades

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Title: Claire
The Blind Love of a Blind Hero, By a Blind Author

Author: Leslie Burton Blades

Release Date: October 15, 2009 [EBook #30261]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CLAIRE ***

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Claire

by Leslie Burton Blades

THE BLIND LOVE OF A BLIND HERO

_BY A BLIND AUTHOR_

[Transcriber's Note: This novel was originally serialized in four
installments in All-Story Weekly magazine from October 5, 1918, to
October 26, 1918. The original breaks in the serial have been retained,
but summaries of previous events preceding the second and third
installments have been moved to the end of this e-book. The Table of
Contents which follows the introduction was created for this electronic
edition.]

On the editorial page of last week's ALL-STORY WEEKLY we announced a new
serial by a new author. "Claire" is a story of such subtle insight, of
so compassionate an understanding of human nature, and of so honest an
attack on the eternal problem of love and living, that it can well
afford to take its chances on its own merits. But _Lawrence Gordon_, the
blind hero of the triangle tragedy, which runs its inevitable course in
the mountain cabin of _Philip Ortez_, takes on a new interest, when we
learn that his creator is himself a blind man.

Born of mining people in Colorado, Blades lost two fingers and the sight
of both eyes when as a lad of nine years he refused to take the dare of
some playmates and set off a giant firecracker. While still a youth he
entered the Colorado State School for the Blind. Here he spent six
years. In the crash at Creede, when the bottom fell out of so many
mining fortunes, the Blades family lost their all. Then young Blades
took up the burden of his own keep. For two successful years he
maintained himself at the University of Colorado by teaching music. When
the family moved to Oregon, the indomitable Leslie followed. At Eugene
he entered the State University and continued to support himself by