The daily Alaskan., 1910-01-06
HER l0LLlS G=0THES
Q. onARLoTrE sHERWooD.


 than any other people for the reason chat no courtship except to the pres ence of witnesses is permitted. ln Spain young men and girls are not al- lowed to come within each others reach. the girls sitting on balconies at tacbed to the dwelling and the young men standing below. There they may chat as they please. But in Brazil the lines are even stronger drawn.
 In the Grijaya family at Rio de Janelro was a pretty maiden of fifteen. lnez by name. Spanish girls develop young. but Inez did not appear to fol- low the rule. She had scarcely given up her doll. and as for noticing the young meu. her mother, who wished her to be married at the proper time, like other girls, could not get her to have anything to do with any of them.
 One day a youth of nineteen, Juan Bustamente. called at the house, asked for Senor Grijalva and made a formal application for the hand of little Inez. Though young. Bustamente was de slrable part. and the Grljalvas had no obiection to the match. The appllca- tlon quite took away the breath Of the girrs parents. It seemed to her mother that a wax doll would be as well fitted to take charge of house and rear family as Inez. She was surprised also that any young man could have seen enough of her daughter, who had been kept under vigilant watch in the nurs- cry. to wish to marry her, She asked Ipez if she had ever seen Juan Busta- mente and where. but Inez gave such cbildlnae answers, made such innocent contradictions, appeared so obvious to what it all meant, that her mother gave up trying 10 get any reliable in- formation. She made up her mind, however. that 1t would never do to permit one, who had not yet left child hood to be married. Young Busta- mente was told that he might call at the house as suitor but marriage for the present was out Of the question.
 The following Sunday evening the family took position ln the drawing room with the young lady, and Che lover was admitted to do the courting, Inez spent the evening cutting figures out of black paper, a work at, which she was sklllful. Juan did all the talking that could be pumped out Of him to Slgnora GrlIalva. Alter half an hour of this kind of eousting. dur ing which be invited his hancee' through her mother, to go with him to the theater on the next Sunday even ing and received an acceptance to the invitation, be took his departure with evident relief.
 It may be supposed by American girls that visit to the theater would give ihe couple a chance to get ac- Guainted. This could not be in Brazil. When the appointed evening arrived Signor Grijalva, his wife on' hs arm, the other members of the family fol- lowing, formed bodyguGrd to little Inez. who walked in the middle of the group. Juan brought up the rear Of the procession alone. After the play the girl was conducted home in the same manner.
 And so the courtship went on. The father intrusted the whole matter to the mother. and the mother was wait ing till her daughter should leave childish ways and act like a woman. But Inez stin preferred to play hide and seek" or 'blind mats bun" rather than dance or go to bull6ghts. There was a bit of comfort in this, because the usual watchfulness did not seem necessary that the rules were re faxed. but that a constant spying was deemed useless.
 Sonora Grijalva was in her daugh- ter's room one day when Inez was out. Everywhere was evidence that the girl was sun a child Rummaging for something in a bureau, the mother came upon some clothes evidently fit- ted for huge doll. The sonora sighed. "Wul she never Be fitted for Q wifeY Then she came upon a sandalwood box. It was locked What need had the child for locking anything? Sonora Griialva fetched bunch of keys and hunted among them till she found a tiny one to Ct the lock- Lifting the lid, she saw ou top of some trinkets a pa per. She opened and read it. She was thunderstruck. It was certificate of marriage between Juan Bustamente and Inez Grijalva celebrated about a month before the young man applied for the young lady's hand.
 Sonora Grijalva stood For moment paralyzed. But there are certain log ical connections which women get very quickly and without following the steps of reasoning involved. Sonora Grljalva pulled out the drawer con taining dolls clothes with jerk, seiz- ed tue articles, opening them one after the other and held them up before her. Now she saw 1t all. They were not dolls clothes. They were made for a child.
 That evening there was council held in the Grijalva family, which re- suited in the public announcement that Juan Bustamente and Inez Grijalya .r f..,...,Ig,t,l ,FtI CsF