to do that for their country,' she said, 'why
shouldn't the dogs and cats of England pay for one of your huts?' Quite
frankly there did not appear to be much money in the scheme, but it
could do no harm, so we encouraged it! Imagine our surprise when a few
days later the same lady walked in with a cheque for four hundred and
fifty pounds. There was one gift of five pounds, all the rest had been
given in smaller amounts, and altogether upwards of two thousand dogs
and cats--or their masters and mistresses--had contributed. A few weeks
later the fund was closed, at just over one thousand pounds, and there
has been no more useful centre of Y.M.C.A. war work than the 'Dogs and
Cats Hut' at Rouen, paid for entirely by this fund.

The Boys and Girls fund has reached upwards of twenty thousand pounds.
We had been speaking to the boys at Harrow School, and the suggestion
had been thrown out that it would be a good plan to have a 'Harrow' Hut
at the Front. At the close of the meeting the headmaster, supporting the
suggestion, said he would give the collection in chapel the following
Sunday to the fund. The head boy approached him afterwards and said, 'I
think, Sir, it would be a mistake to make a collection for the Y.M.C.A.
on Sunday. If you do the boys will think they have done their bit, and
won't bother any further. Won't you let us make a whip up round the
houses and see what we can do?' Thus it was agreed, and the five hundred
pounds, which in those days was the cost of a hut, was raised in less
than a week. We have seen that hut in France, and know how much it was
appreciated. During the German advance in Picardy it had to be
temporarily abandoned, but fortunately was speedily occupied again.

In the early days of the Euston hut, the vicar of a neighbouring parish
was keenly interested, and told the children in his day school what he
had seen in the hut. At the close of his address a deputation of the
older children waited on him and told him they were interested in what
he told them, and would much like to help the Y.M.C.A. in its work for
the soldiers. 'You help?' queried the vicar; 'how can you help?' He knew
how poor they were. To his surprise they had their scheme ready, and
their plans cut and dried. 'This time every year,' said the spokesman,
'we put by our pennies and our ha'pennies for our annual treat. We don't
feel like having a treat this year when all this terrible fighting is
taking place. We would rather gi