Omaha daily bee., 1883-03-15
A HCMOR ISrs WIFE.
Making Fun for the Masses at q Sick
Woman's Bedside.
Atlanta Constitution.

Atlanta Constitution.
Bob Burdette is known the country
oyer a. the humorist OF the Burling.
ton Hawkeye. He Is the most suc.
cessful of our funny men. His books
have q constant and increasing sale.
His salary from the Hawkeye gives
him q handsome income, and his little
sketches command the best prices from
the magazines. In addition he has
$3.50 to $3.50 a night whenever he
wants to take a lecturing tour of one
or twenty weeks. His humor Is deli
cate, true and abundant, and he Ia an
honor to the lighter American writer's
because of his literary achievement.
But batter and more honorable than
all this is the story of his hearthstope.
When he was a man of twenty.six he
was engaged to Miss Carrie Garrett, of
Peoria, Ill. She was u ffail and deli
cate girl, and one evening Burdette
WAS summoned to her bedside with
the message that che was dying. Lit.
tie hope was entertained for her life
when he reached her. twas determ.
ined at the wish of both he and she,
that they should be married, even
though death should at once claim the
bride. The ceremony took place In
fifteen minutes, the little lady being
able to respond only by a motion Of
the eyes and q gentle pressure of the
hand. In spite of the doctors pre-.
dictions she rallied, and was finally
we'll enough to move to the quiet and
oossy home her husband had provided
for her.
But she has been an Invalid all her
life. More than once her life has
been despaired of. Usually she ha,
been confined to her room and unable
to walk. One night at . theater In
Philadelphia the writer saw apsle and
earnest man making his way to Q priv
ate box, with a delicate, clinglne
woman in his arms. Her girlish face
was full of pathos that passes desorip'
tion, but was wonderfully pretty.
And strangely happy, too-6lled with
content. Everybody made way fol-
the little lady, and her great tender
eyes seemed to send thanks to every
gentleman who moved aside In cour.
tesy. 1t was Bob Burdette and his
invalid wife. This IL an index of hii
life. The temptations of the world,
the dazzle and glitter of the society
that has welcomed him, the converse
with brilliant men, the club, the
theater, wealth, fame-all and either
| Of them failed 10 win his heart away
from the little woman who sat at his
fireside and lived IN his love and sym.
patty.
Nor was there lacking q practical
reward of this devotion. Mrs. Bur.
dette has been the inspiration Of her
husbands bfs, at once his spur aud
his counsellor. She frat discovered
the rich quality and the spontanelty
of Bob's humor and the homely favor
that would carry 1t to the heart as
we'll as the intelligence of the public.
Imagine the humorist reading the
most laughable stories at the bedside
OF his invalid wife. He tells himself
of how she forced him to write his
frat lecture, 10 these words:
"One day when she was lying help.
less, she said abe believed that / could
write a lecture and deliver 1t success
fully, and 80 she sat me down to write
that lecture, and, from time to time ]
rebelled with tears and groans and
prayers / told her that I was toe
little, that l pa no voice. and that ]
couldn't lecture anyhow. She kept IN,
at 1t, and In due time we had a lectur,
on our hands, The Rise and Fall O
the Mustache.' This was all RICH
enough, but now, how to get the au
dience. Thought 1 would try 1t first a
Keokuk. If l delivered it first in Bur
lington, even though 1t were tame,
tanner, tamest, l thought they Nigh
put me on the book. But Keokul
hated Burlington, and I knew II 1t wa
fiat the Keokuk people would say 30
Mrs. Burdette said, as she was re
sponsible for that lecture, she was 90.
Ing to hear 1t delivered. So / carrie,
her aboard the cars. We went to Ke
okuk, and the people pronounced
good"
From that day he has prospere,
wherever his honely, Insignificant lit
tie figure has been seen.