Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1880-10-02
THE HAwKEYE MAN.
The Eseautrful story of Esurdette's
Heroic Devotion TO his Help
less Little Wife.
God Bless the Noble Hearted
Fellow

Miss Anna G. Starbuck, of Roch-
ester, writes to the Democrat and
Chronicle" Of that city:
Since you have published the let
ter0f Robert Burdette to the Phi
Kappa Psi, in which the beautiful
sanctuary of his home is given to
our fearful eyes, / shall not be in
vading the sacredness OF his dOmes-
tic life if pay my slight tribute to
his heroic devotion to his little wife,
Just as we would lay modest sprig
of mignOnette at the shrine of some
hero, whose marble statue fills a
niche i'm historic halls. i have
talked with one who has been at
Nantucket, where the genial
" HaWkeye" is spending his vaca-
ton, and ] learned that he who
touches, as with a fairy's wand, the
fountain of mirth and laughter and
cheer for others, bears in his own
heart the constant pain-hardest of
ali pain to bear-of seeing his near
est and dearest a helpless invalid.
And yet with a devotion such as
few men are capable of, his brave
young strength Is freely, sweetly,
tenderly given to her whom he has
promised through life to protect.
OF him may 1t be truly said: "Greater
love hath no man than this, that
he lay down his own life for his
friend" For daily, hourly is this
service of his rendered. Mrs. Bur-
dette is as helpless and dependent
on her husband as a little child.
Wherever he goes, she goes she is
his guardian angel, and he hers in
a literal sense. About the streets OF
the island town he wheels her wick
er chair so carefully that not jostle
| pains the sensitive body or startles
the nerves of the invalid. Into the
dining-rOom of the hotel he comes
bearing his fragile wife in his arms;
every want, every most trivial wish
of hers is attended to by him, and
all "for loves sake" There is a
kind of patience that submits with
dumb resignation to whatever bur-
den God may send there is anoth-
er kind that lifts its head and sings
Gods love the while, shedding hui
man sunlight over all, and healing
its own heart at the same time thai
it heals the hearts of others. From
this latter patience bubbles up the
mirthful genius of Burdette's writ.
ings. 1t is said that he dashes of
his humorous sketches first to glad
den the heart of his wife and relieve
the lonely hours of her invalidism
then gives them to the public and
sets the whole literary world in 8
smiling mood. Let us reverently
uncover our heads to him who has
so truly proven himself a. hero. A
hero in living his life so unselfishly
for another. In these days OF mat.
rimonial infelicity how comforting
to come across such a noble excep-
ton as his. | claim that such only
are worthy of the marriage state
who can utter the VOW, "for better
for worse, for richer, for poorer, in
sickness and in health" and fulfil il
to the letter; not from a feeling Of
duty, but from heroic love, as does
he to whom my pen has waited
this sea-spray tribute. / feel that
my native island is honOred by the
presence of Robert Burdette and
his sanity little wife; and as a
daughter of old Nantucket, / send
my greeting homeward, hoping that
every salt breeze that kisses the
island shore may bring blessing and
health to him and his.