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Show TELL8 WHY INDIANS PAINT. Apache P.elates Legend Which Accounts Ac-counts for His People's Custom. Onco an old Apacho Indian, when saked tho question why his people painted their faces, told this llttlo le-tend: le-tend: "Long ago, when men wero weak ind animals were big and strong, a thief of tho red men who lived In these mountains went out to get a leer, for his people wero hungry. . "After walking all day be saw a leer and shot at It, but the arrow was turned aside and wounded a mountain lion, which was also after tho deer. When the lien telt the sting 5f tho anow bo Jumped up and bound-id bound-id after tM man, who ran for his lite, "He was almost exhausted and, when ho fell his strength giving way, bo fell to tho ground, calling on the big bear, who, you know,, la the groA father of men, 'to save 'him. "The big bear heard the call and aw that to save the man ho bad to act quickly, so ho scratched bis foot and sprinkled his blood over the man. "Now, you must know that no animal ani-mal wilt eat ot tho bear or taste of his blood. So when tho lion reached thd man ho smcllcd tho blond and turned away, but as ho did so his toot scraped tho faco ot th xan, leaving the marks ot bis claws on tho blood-smeared blood-smeared faco. "When tho man found that he was uninjured he wns so thankful that be left tho blood dry on his rco and never washed it at alt, but left It until It peeled off. "Whore tho claws of the lion scraped It off thcro were marks that turned brown In the sun, and where the blood stayed on It was lighter. Now all men paint their faces that way with blood and scrapo It off In streaks when they hunt or go to war." |