The daily enterprise. [volume] (Livingston, Mont.) 1883-1884, 1883-08-18
EJR RUEDETyE,
Serious View OF the Great Eunorist's
Life.

Lie.
IFronl the Atlanta constitutional
Bob Burdet5e is known the country
over IS the humorist of the Burlington
.iGacAeye. lie is tie most successful
OF our funny men. His books have a
constant and incre asing sale. His SAL
airy fLom the Hdavkeye gives him q
handsome income, and his little sketch
es to,nmand the best prices from the
Iiaaazines. In addition he has $3.50 to
$500 a night whenever he wants to take
q iecturing tour Of one or two weeks.
His humor is debate, true and abun d.
ant, and lie is an honor to the lighter
American letters, because of his liter
any achievements.
Tut batter and more honorable than
. | this is the story Of his hearth h-stone.
zen he was d young man Of 26 he
VAS @, Gagged TO Mss Carrie Garret, Of
.'euria. Ii. She Was q fGaI &nd deli
<:s*c 3 I, and one evening Bucdejte
a,ys s'1amtned 80 her beds de with tle
4 sa>. G Sat sic was dying. Lite
. & Ws>s cut rvaiaed for her life when
g., re.ched her. 1t Was determined, at
ne wish If both he AMI she, that tle7
nii,d Ice married, evcn if death should
o ce claim the bride. The ceremony
ok place in fifteen minutes, the little
,.1y oci g able to respond oaly by
no ion of the eyes and gentle prsesura
% tie hand. In spite of the doctor's
predictions she rallied, and was finally
- l. enough to move to the quiet and
2;Zy home her husband had provided
iur her.
But she has been an invalid all her
lie. More than once her life has been
lespaired of. Usually she has been
confined to her room and unable to
Walk. Oue night at theater in Phila-
s;ciplia the writer saw pale and earn
It nan IN tkiug his way to private
< with delicate, clirging woman in
:, arms. Her girlish face was full Of
,'tIos that passes description, but
as wo'd;rfully pretty. And strangely
,:ppy, too-tu!l Of content. Every
,,.,y male way for the little lady, and
:: s3r>;a5 tender eyes seemed to send
;.;..:iAs TO every gentleman who moved
lie in cous tesv. It was Bob Bur-
g d, and his inv.ii wife. This is IN
,.,x OF Ills lie. The temptations of
he world, the dazzle aud glitter of the
ocie:y tnat Las welcomed bim--tho
colve.se with b i.liant men, the club,
J ,"atar, wealth, fame--all and either Of
III III Jailed 10 win his heart from the
/ t lo Woman who sat at his fireside and
|. ed Oh his love AID sympathy.
Nj was there lacking q practical re-
ward of this devotion. Mrs. Burdetto
|, IS been the Inspiration OF her hus-
bauu's lfe-it once his spur and his
rounselor. She first discovered the
rich quality and tho spontaneity of
bob's hum T, and the homely flavor
that would carry it to the heart as we'll
Is the Intelligence of the public. Imag-
ne the ho1norist reading the most |
aughable stories at the bedside OF his
invalid wife. He tells himself OF how
She forced him to write his first lecture
n these words:
"One day, when she was lying help
ess, she said she believed that | could
write Il lecture and deliver it success
ully, and so she sat me down to write
hat lecture, and from time to time
ebe.led with tears and groans and
prayers. I told her that was too little.
hat I had no voice, and that couldn't
write lecture anyhow. She kept me
It it, and in due time we had lecture
n our hands, 'The Rise and Fall of
he Mustache' This was all right
n ugh. But now how to get an
udience. thought I would try it first
t Keokuk. If I delivered it first at
burlington, even though it were tame,
amer, tamest, I thought they might
at me on the back. But Keokuk hated
Burlington, and 1 knew if it was fiat
he Keokuk people would say so. Mrs.
said, as she was responsible
d. that lecture, she was going to hear
delivered. So I car, led her aboard
ne cars. We went to Keokuk, and the
eople pronounced it good"
From that day he has prospered
herever his homely, significant little
CURE has been seen. Il