nt on without intermission,
regimental bands supplying the music; and the amount of beer consumed
in one Sunday was greater than that drunk by the entire village the
whole winter through. Of course there were strong patrols set to keep
order at the dancing-platforms and licensed houses. As there were too
few partners for the soldiers quarrels were of constant occurrence, and
were seldom amicably settled; a brawl was the usual result, and at
times a regular fight.

It was the custom in these villages to hire maidservants only by the
month, as sufficient work could hardly be found for them during the
winter; and there were also other members of the female sex--not
servants, but ladies who had taken up their summer quarters here. They
were the cause of much perplexity to the officers in command of the
troops. The soldiers would stand in queues at the doors of these summer
residences, like people at a baker's shop in time of famine; and then
if any of them were drunk and got a little impatient there was sure to
be a row. Censorious tongues passed severe comments on such
proceedings. The commanding officers were most anxious to rectify the
evil; but they could hardly post sentries at those particular houses,
and finally they got over the difficulty by bringing a little moral
pressure to bear upon the local authorities. These worthy civilians
achieved the desired end by the simple means of administrative
expulsions.

As the two comrades were getting ready to go out, Vogt asked the clerk:
"Well, Heinrich, what shall we do with ourselves? Shall we go along and
drink a glass of beer and look on at the racket for a bit?"

"If you like, Franz," replied Klitzing.

"Then we won't," said Vogt. "You ought to say at once when you don't
like a thing. I don't in the least want to go myself, and we can always
get beer in the canteen. We'll just walk a bit through the wood as far
as the butts, shall we?"

Klitzing assented, and they waited till their comrades were off, then
strolled slowly into the cool forest. Troops of men were leaving the
camp gates to walk by the hard high road towards the villages that
could be seen in the distance.

Vogt looked after the cloud of dust they made.

"Can you understand what they see in women?" he asked.

"No, indeed I can't."

"You don't care about women?"

The clerk shook his head. "And you, Franz?" he inquired.

"Not I. At any rate, not yet."

Walking on in the shade of the forest's