The Next of Kin: Those who Wait and Wonder

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garden is so comforting and reassuring. Everything else has changed, but seedtime and harvest stil

-which to-day tells of the destruction of French villages-and then look at the cattle grazing peacefully on

they are oblivious of public opinion; they have no debts to pay; they do not weary you with explanations; they are not sorry

-car on the train, and every minute I am growing hungrier. The western sky burns red with the sunset, and throws a sullen glow on the banks of clouds in the east. It is a quiet, peaceful evening, and I find it hard to believe that somewhere men are killing each other and whole villages are burning.... The light on the ponds grows dimmer, with

en are gathered around the table to "do" their lessons. The North Country, with its long, snowy winters, develops the love of home in the hearts of our people, and drives the children indoors to find their comfort around the fire. Solomon knew this when he said that the perfect woman "is not afraid of the snow for her hou

cks. I know how these women feel! I, even I, have begun to crochet! I do it for the same reason that the old toper in time of stress takes to his glass. It keeps me from thinking; it atrophies the brain; and now I know

, but it could not get to me on account of the friendly wall which held it back-and I was grateful! Now I am grateful to have a crochet-needle and a ball of silco

they are buffeted, will come back to an upright position. It takes a little longer with us-that is all; but given half a chance-o

and had now settled down into a state of sadness that was hopeless and final. She had been a fine-looking woman once, too, and from her high forehead and well-shaped mouth I should take her to be a woman of considerable mental power, but there had been too much sorrow; she had belonged to a house of too much trouble, and it had dried up the fountains of he

reatly attracted me. She used her hands when she spoke, and smiled often. This childish enthusiasm contrasted stran

to talk to me, for she was not making much headway with her

dn't start it! Let the Kings and Kaisers and Czars who make the trouble do the fretting. Thank God, none of them are any blood-

?" the other woman said; "yo

g to go. Harry is still safe in England-he may never have to go: the war may be over-the Kaiser may fall and break his neck-there's lots of ways peace may come. Even if Harry does go, he may not get killed. He may only get his toe off, or his little finger, and come home, or he may escape everything. Some do. Even if he is killed-every one has to die, an

opted a whole family that belonged to a stuck-up Plymouth Rock that deserted them when they weren't much more than feathered. Biddy stepped right in and raised them, with thirteen of her own. Hers were well grown-Biddy always got down to business early in the spring, she was so forehanded. She raised the Plymouth Rocks fine, too! She was a born stepmother. Well, she got shut out one night, and froze her feet, and lost some good claws

ll brains, and I never could bear to make soup out of a philosopher like what she was. Well, she was getting pretty stiff-I could see that; and sometimes she had to try two or three times before she could get on the roost. But this night she made it on the first try, and when I went to shut the door, she sat there all ruffled up. I reached out to feel her, she

the other woman sat silent, and

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