"That isn't a nice word," retorted Mrs. Overton. "It's slang!"
"It's worse than slang in the Army," laughed Hal. "The army 'goat' is the very new officer who has a lot of extra duties thrust upon him that the older officers don't want. Those duties of the 'goat' are generally both very trifling and very annoying."
"Then it isn't right," declared Hal's mother, with an air of conviction. "No one ought to annoy a young man who has been smart enough to make an officer of himself. What are a second lieutenant's duties?"
"Well," replied Noll quizzically, "for one thing he must see that every one of his colonel's eight pairs of boots are kept polished."
"Oliver Terry!" remonstrated Mrs. Overton.
"And see to it that the grass is kept mowed on the colonel's lawn," added Hal.
"A new second lieutenant is expected to relieve the colonel's wife's nurse-girl in taking care of headquarters' kids on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons——" continued Noll.
"Also groom the colonel's horses," added Hal.
"I don't believe a word of that," declared Mrs. Overton, whereat both very new young officers laughed heartily.
"And you're starting in badly, too," continued Hal's mother accusingly. "I happen to know this much—that an officer must have too much honor to stoop to telling lies. And that he's court-martialed and driven out of the service if he does. So be careful."