bronze, china, and other
heirlooms are tastefully distributed about the room.

Stories told at these tea-parties are called by the Japanese names
of _Cha-banashi_, meaning tea-stories, or _Hiti-Kucha_--"one
mouth stories," short stories told at one sitting. At times
professional story-tellers are employed. Of these there are two
kinds: Story-Tellers and "Cross-Road Tradition Narrators," both
of whom since olden times have been the faithful custodians
and disseminators of native folk-lore and tales.

These professionals are divided into a number of classes, the
most important being the _Hanashi-Ka_, members of a celebrated
company under a well-known manager, who unites them into
troops of never less than five or more than seven in number.
Such companies are often advertised weeks before their arrival
in a place by hoisting flags or streamers with the names of
the performers thereon. Their programme consists of war-stories,
traditions, and recitals with musical accompaniment. During
the intermission, feats of legerdemain or wrestling fill in
the time and give variety to the entertainment.

These are the leading professional performers. The other classes,
while not held in as high regard by the select, nevertheless have
a definite place in Japanese amusement circles. One of the latter
is the _Tsuji-ko-shaku-ji_. This word-swallower does not
belong to any company, but is a "free-lance" entertainer. A sort
of "has been," he does not, however, rest on his past laurels, but
continues to perform whenever he can obtain an audience--on
the highways, to passers-by, in public resorts and thoroughfares.

Although the Chinese are not so neat in their public habits as
the Japs, still their tea-houses and similar resorts are just as
numerous and popular as they are in the neighboring country.
Perhaps the most interesting caterers in China, however, are the
coolies, who sell hot water in the rural districts. These itinerants
have an ingenious way of announcing their coming by a whistling
kettle. This vessel contains a compartment for fire with a
funnel going through the top. A coin with a hole is placed
so that when the water is boiling a regular steam-whistle
is heard.

Plentiful as tea is in China, however, the poor people there do
not consume as good a quality of the leaf as the same class in
our own country.

Especially is this the case in the northern part of China, where
most of the inhabitants just live, and that is all