Show AMONG THE CHINESE JAKE MILES THEIR THEATRE ANU JOSS ue investigates their tan tan gambling dens correspondence 1 after visiting a sleeping apartment of one of these tenement houses in chinatown which I 1 referred to in my preceding my companions and I 1 were conducted by the loquacious guide back along the narrow hallway and through the sickening fumes sent up from the cooking room which possessed a few features that strikingly illustrated the of its occupants and we then passed out into the busy street inton the fresh air fresh air hurrah for christen dom may her light ever shine shouted our funny friend as he threw his hat high in the air and struck his nearest neighbor terrible blow in the small of the back was that Pekin we just poked out of and why in the name of goodness and all that is suggestive ge stive do they call them fellers celestials Celesti als because they keep housed up like bears in winter and thus seeless see less chills or rather feel less chills than any other people ventured the guide in his gravy out cracking a smile while we were tempted to crack his cranium wo followed him as he directed his course across the street and down into a basement A squint bial was found sitting ap guarding a dim candle from the ravenous mice and rats on our entrance bis face h with a broad grin which I 1 like I 1 imagined X saw our escort wink an evil wink and the yellow villain answer him with the corner of his mouth this is one of their pawn shops said the aido there is a little 0 everything here each article being checked look here he continued with a wise and not to be questioned look as he selected out froma heap of knives a keen edged and much this knife has killed twelve men and its good for that many more how muchal you take for it eagerly asked our enthusiastic dag ger barer eyeing the knife with covetous expression they cant sell this now bothered some he then related dreadful tales of bloody deeds until he got us worked up to such a pitch that we paid enormously for some ladies fans each of which secreted a keen blade armed with these inno cent looking appendages we marched out of the shop feeling better and more secure nest morning we dis covered much to our disgust that these costly fans which last night concealed a murderous blade shielded only a pointed of tin and that very afternoon in a chinese store wo were offered all we could carry off for ten cents each the guide got a good commission out of these disposals we then accompanied our lender into the dining room of a chinese restaurant which is decorated with the finest wood carvings imaginable all imported direct from the mongolian hatchery the furniture is of a superior quality the wood being very bard and neatly inlaid with beautiful though fantastically shaped ivory and pearl A dinner ia this house costs from five to eight hundred dol lars said the boaster in an offhand off hand i manner protecting himself with a wise look afterwards we were escorted to an apartment where the victuals are prepared for the restaurants gazing about in wonderment we saw many yellow men serving up the most indescribable dishes while several eat at a table out of bowls the contents of these vessels appeared like a mixture of soup bread bits of sun dried cow hide chicken heads more bread more heads with now and then a foot and cats ears which was being scraped into their voluptuous mouth by moans of two strips of wood and eagerly devoured gee whiz I 1 exclaimed through the opening between my angers as a stir of air wafred wafted to our locality a j most unpleasant odor have they any dead sheep or castoff cast off cats about here gats answered our expounder yes black cats a thing very rare among the and considered a firrest delicacy is black cat soup slack cat soup I 1 repeated with disdain and fright intermingled by the powers that beats anything yet what next said the knife bearer hat if we dont get out of this be mormon boy soup two bits a bowl slink boys slink or were gonner sl he ejaculated with I 1 great emphasis we raade a break for the door and j were soon beyond the reach of that i man who may have been telling the truth but wo could neither challow nor digest the black cat SOUD an 1 tack flight in walking down washington street after dark you will likely hear a strange unearthly sort of music which is exceedingly penetrating and fills one with awe thero is a touch of fiendish in the tone that is as fascinating in its way as is repulsive to the sense of the beautiful in music after pausing to listen but for a moment it seems to draw you on as it these strains proceed from the chinese theatre on entering one is struck with the dingy and smoked appearance of everything fumes from the hundreds of pipes held between the teeth of the in frosted celestials Celesti als who sit like statues intently watching the performance for mance aro seen curling heaven 1 ward most amusing thing of all is to the men raise up oufa of the centros cen the auditorium and walk over aba toes of the others until they reach the aisle when with their long pipes hanging from their mouths their bats slouched down over their eyes or tangling from one ear they deliberately mount the stage and puffing away for all they are worth among the actors with unequaled dignity and unconcern which is really judicious this roust bo done to show themselves to the admiring eyes of the fair damsels the bae bave men invariably impersonate characters and with skill too their costuming ia excessively geons thir acting anito ar S chati 1 A half hours the most curious the antique uh civilized strangeness in which everything s robed impressed everyone with the idea that be has just spent a half hour in the infernal regions among gatans satans chosen hosts the joss houses the chinese temples are handsomely ornamented with beautiful wood carved representations and draped with exquisite tapestry their idolatrous worship displays as much sincerity as it affords amusement Gamb lingis as universal among the as the opium habit the fan tan gambling dens are very numerous and the chinese police squad often raid them and the captured are punished the proprietors prie tors of these dives auevery cunning and always have a watch stationed just outside to give the signal of an approaching stranger who they might suspicion when a heavy door glides noiselessly across the narrow hallway entirely blocking up the passage these fan tan rooms are often found completely lined with iron as a precaution against the squad who have frequently torn down a threefoot three foot wall in order to gain an entrance as the powerful barred doors onla laughed at their axes and sledges As I 1 was returning to the h otel late one night my way lay through chinatown immediately ahead there was a watch lounging about the outside door now old fellow I 1 thought tm going to leam what sort of a signal you give your gambling comrades within I 1 strode up as if ignorant of his presence until opposite when I 1 took an enormous stride towards the entrance my foot had barely touched the ground when the man had darted into the hallway and the mysterious door glided phantomlike phantom like across the hall leaving me as wise but no wiser JASE TECOMA nev sept |