The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Light in the Clearing, by Irving
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Title: The Light in the Clearing

Author: Irving Bacheller

Release Date: November 25, 2004 [eBook #14150]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII)

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THE LIGHT IN THE CLEARING

A Tale of the North Country in the Time of Silas Wright

by

IRVING BACHELLER

Author of _Eben Holden_, _Keeping Up with Lizzie_, etc.

Illustrated by Arthur I. Keller.

1917

[Illustration: The Silent Woman stood, pointing at him with her finger]

_The Spirit of Man is the Candle of the Lord_
--PROVERBS XX, 27

TO MY FRIEND

THOMAS R. PROCTOR, OF UTICA

LOVER OF THE TRUE IDEALS OF DEMOCRACY

WHOSE LIFE HAS BEEN A SHINING EXAMPLE TO ALL MEN OF WEALTH

HONORED GENTLEMAN AND PHILANTHROPIST

AT THE GATE OF THE LAND OF

WHICH I HAVE WRITTEN

DEDICATE THESE CHRONICLES OF THAT LAND

AND OF ITS GREAT HERO

FOREWORD

From the memoirs of one who knew Governor Wright and lived through many
of the adventures herein described and whose life ended full of honors
early in the present century. It is understood that he chose the name
Barton to signalize his affection for a friend well known in the land of
which he was writing.

THE AUTHOR.

PREFACE

The Light in the Clearing shone upon many things and mostly upon those
which, above all others, have impassioned and perpetuated the Spirit of
America and which, just now, seem to me to be worthy of attention. I
believe that spirit to be the very candle of the Lord which, in this
dark and windy night of time, has flickered so that the souls