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  • Clara's Invention

  • Many people in Venice knew who Antonio Rossi was.

  • Like his fatherAntonio was a very talented glassblower.

  • He made many beautiful glass items such as vases and water pitchers.

  • With his new furnace, Antonio now made his popular glassware faster  than before.

  • Antonio's daughter Clara liked her father's workshop.

  • She loved to look at all of the  beautiful and colorful items he created.

  • One day, she walked into the workshop and her father was  there,

  • standing beside two delicate glass vases.

  • "Do you like them, Clara?" he asked proudly.

  • "I have made them for Mr. Lombardi, the great writer here in Venice."

  • "They're beautiful, Father,"  Clara said.

  • "I must go and get Mr. Lombardi," said her father.

  • Then, he left the workshop.

  • Clara looked at the vases. Beside them was a note.

  • Mr. Rossi, Please make two beautiful vases for my wife. S. Lombardi

  • Clara read the note and smiled.

  • As she turned, she bumped the vases.

  • "No!" she gasped.

  • She tried to catch them, but it was too late.

  • They fell to the ground and broke into many pieces.

  • Only the round bases at the bottom were not broken.

  • Clara reached down and picked up one of the round bases.

  • "What will I tell Father?" she  thought.

  • She held the piece in front of her as big wet tears fell down her cheeks.

  • It was then that she saw Mr. Lombardi's note as she looked through the glass.

  • The letters were...BIG!

  • Clara looked at the base.

  • It was flat on one side and curved on the other.

  • She picked up the other base and looked through it.

  • It worked, too!

  • The words looked bigger!

  • Clara thought quickly.

  • She found a length of wire and pounded it flat,

  • then carefully wrapped it around the two glass pieces.

  • As Clara finished, she heard footsteps.

  • Mr. Lombardi and her father walked in.

  • "Now let me show you the... Clara!"

  • Clara's father stopped, and stared at the broken vases on the floor.

  • "I'm so sorry, Father," Clara whispered.

  • Mr. Lombardi looked at the two pieces of glass in a wire frame in Clara's hand.

  • "What do you have there?" he asked.

  • "I made it from the broken  pieces," said Clara.

  • "Look through them." She held up the note for him to see.

  • Mr. Lombardi's eyes opened wide.

  • "The words! They're big!"

  • He looked at Clara's father.

  • "My wife can't read my books because of her eyes.

  • This will be my gift to her! It will be the greatest gift ever!

  • "Clara's father smiled.

  • "I don't know how you did it, Clara," he said,

  • "but you made something very useful."

  • Clara had made something very useful  indeed.

  • She had invented eyeglasses.

Clara's Invention

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