"'Oh, it's only some of those b—— Bosches!' was the reply...."
There were many middle-aged men in the First Sportsman's. This introduces one of them.
"The Battalion was marching down the main street of Carnoy when a charming French girl of about eighteen dashed into the line of route, evidently with the idea of 'parleyvooing' with one of the young sports. She commenced in a breezy manner chatting with my father, a youngster of fifty, not noting, at first, his grey hair. Suddenly he turned his head toward her and smiled. 'Oh, papa!' she ejaculated, and fled...."
The Quartermaster is a noted personage in the Army. This is to introduce him.
"While the Battalion was at Aix Neulette the transport came under shell-fire one morning. The shells came nearer and nearer, in a direct line with the water-carts, highly polished, the pride of the corporal in charge. The personnel eventually thought fit to take shelter in an adjacent shell-hole until the Hun had finished his unpleasant pranks.
"Over came the fifth shell with a whistle and a scream, and—bang!—up went the two carts in the air, while shell fragments flew all over the place. Hanging on a line were various articles of washing, the clean clothes of the water-cart crew. These were in the line of fire, and as a consequence were well perforated.
"Now comes the sequel. They were taken to the Quartermaster on the following morning, and, so it is said, he refused to replace them on the ground that the holes were not the result of fair wear and tear!..."