The Osceola times., 1883-04-14
A HUMORlST'S WIFE.
Making Fun for the Masses at Sick wo-
mans Bedsidc.
Atlanta Constitution.

Atlanta Constitution.
Bob Burdette is known the country
over as the humorist octhc Burlington
Hawkeye.
He is the most successful of our funny
men. His books have constant and in
creasing sale. His salary from the
Hawkeye gives him a handsome income,
and his little sketches com and the best
prices from the magazines. In addition,
he has $3.50 and $3.50 night whenever
he wants TO take lecturing tour of one
or twenty weeks.
His humor is true, delicate and abund-
ant, and he is an honor to the lighter
American writers, because of his literary
achievement.
But better and more honorable than
all this is the story of his shearthstoae.
When he was man of twenty-six he
was engaged TO Miss Carrie Garret, of
Peoria, III. She was frail and delicate
girl, and one evening Burdette was sum-
moned to her bedside with the message
that she was dying. Little hope was en-
tertained for her life when he reached
her. 1t was determined, 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 motion
of the eyes and gentle pressure ofthe
hand. In spite of the doctors predic-
tions she rallied, and was finally well
enough TO move to the quiet and cosey
home her husband had provided for her.
But she has been an invalid all her life.
More than once her life has been des-
paired Of Usually she has been confined
to her ioom and unable TO walk.
One night nj theatre in Philadelphia
the writer saw pale and earnest man
making his way to pirate box, with a
delicate, clinging woman in his arms
Her girlish face was full Of pathos that
passed description, but was wonderfully
pretty. And strangely happI, too--filled
with content.
Everybody made way for the little
lady, and her great tender eyes seemed
TO send thanks to every gentleman who
moved aside in courtesy. II was Bob
Burdette and his invalid wife.
This is an index of his life. The temp
tations of the yrld, the dazzle and gilt
ter of the society that has welcomed him,
the converse with brilliant men, the club,
thn th fro tx.nnlth larpn-an and OF M
of them failed to win his heart away
from the little woman who sat at his Gre-
side and lived on his love and sympathy.
Nor was there lacking a practical re-
ward of this devotion. Mrs. Burdette
has been the inspiration of her husbands
life, at once his spur and his counselor.
She first discovered the rich quality
and the spontaneity of Bobs humor and
the homely flavor that would carry il TO
the heart as well as the intelligence of
the public. Imagine the humorist read
ing the most laughable stories at the bed
side of his invalid wife. He tells him
self of how she forced him to write his
first lecture in these words:
zone day when she was lying helpless,
she said she believed that could write
lecture and deliver it successfully, and
30 she sat me down to write that lecture,
and, from time to time ! rebelled with
tears and groans and prayers. told her
that had no voice, and that ! couldn't
lecture anyhow. She kept me at it, and
in due time we had lecture on our
hands. The Rise the Fall of the Mus
tache.' This was all well enough, but
now to get the audience. thought
would try it first at Keokuk.
"If delivered it first in Burlington.
even though it were tame, tanner tamest,
Thought they might put Inc on the
book. But Keokuk hated Burlington,
and | knew if it was fiat the Keokuk
people would say so. Mrs. Burdette said
rs she was responsible for that lecture,
she was going 10 hcarit delivered. So
carried her aboard the cars. We went to
keokuk, and the people pronounced ii
good"
From that day he has prospered where
ever his homely, insignificant little fig.
ure has been seen.