Apache Wives And Mothers-in-law

beo a brave concludes to marry, eilher i tirst or any subscuent wito, the luuiincr of his courtship il tlif sauic. Ho makcs no effort to beooau agroeable to hu intended bride - iodecd, rarely t' ever notices her, or speaks 10 her, except u. anwer to ijmMmm she ujay put to him. Ho pays ïuoro attention, howcver, to her male relations, particularly her bruther-, i f' -lic has any. Pinally, it' he becunas -ati.-ticd that a declaration wil! not be rejoctcd, then the whole affair is acoonililishcd ia a few hours, and gewrally ia this fashion : At night, ho takes the presmts intended lor the girl's párente, whu aloDe are entitled to receive aoy, and plaoea tliem near tbc lodge in which he residen. It tho presenta aro horses they have tluir trap]ings also, and nre tied wit 11 maoate (ic:ir the lodge ; it' a cow is to be given, a single straw, or a cow's hom, which signitie intentiuti, 'u tieil to tho lodge. If the presenta are ac-ceptcd, which aluiost always happens, the sirloesiu the morning and builds a ncw lodge or hut tbr herself and husband. and ]uts the strtw in it tbr their bed. it tho man i rich thero is sorne ccreuiony about 1 1 luarriage; if poor, very little or none. Before finishing tliia story I will tspeak of a strange cu&toui ainong these Indian.-, tor which they givc do rcasoo. It is codsidered a gre&t iodeoeney for a manto look at his iimtherin-law's t'aoe, and still more m to fpeak to her. It' by obancf tbey happco to couie close together, one runs in qne direction nnd the othor in the opposite one, until they are tevenil yards apart. Soraetinies, if they happen to be ncar of au age, pretence of intending to approach cach othcr id udulgcd in an a joke. l'ur instance, the Bon-io-law s in a hut, ati'l the niothor aprroachos nuar enough U be heard, and calis to him that she M approaching. He replies: "Do you know I am here'" She answers: "Ves, but I am comiog all the same." He then dares her to cocue, but invariably when he perceives she is gettiog nearer i han good breedine allown he takes to his hoels, to the great diversion of the lookcrs,n. I never heard any reason giren for i li i-i eustom, but it is universal, and never l roken over except in very extreme cases. ¦an Francisco I'ost.