When the girls first arrived in Montiers the Salvation Army Staff-Captain
was rather at a loss to know what to do with them until the hut was built.
They were invited to chow with the soldiers, and to eat in an old French
barn used as a kitchen, in front of which the men lined up at the open
doorways for mess. It was a very dirty barn indeed, with heavy cobwebs
hanging in weird festoons from the ceiling and straw and manure all over
the floor; quite too barnlike for a dining-hall for delicately reared
women. The Staff-Captain hesitated about bringing them there, but the
Mess-Sergeant offered to clean up a corner for them and give them a
comfortable table.
"I don't know about bringing my girls in here with the men," said the
Staff-Captain still hesitating. "You know the men are pretty rough in
their talk, and they're always cussing!"
"Leave that to me!" said the Mess-Sergeant. "It'll be all right!"
There was an old dirty French wagon in the barnyard where they kept the
bread. It was not an inviting prospect and the Staff-Captain looked about
him dubiously and went away with many misgivings, but there seemed to be
nothing else to be done.
The boys did their best to fix things up nicely.
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