Sentence:  It was a warm spring night and I sat at a table on the terrace of the Napolitain after Robert had gone, watching ... the <WSD>"poules</WSD>" going by, singly and in pairs, looking for the evening meal. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  A girl, a young woman, especially seen as promiscuous; a slut. (from 1920s)