Produced by Marilynda Fraser-Cunliffe, Jeannie Howse and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net The Next of Kin _Those who Wait and Wonder_ By Nellie L. McClung Author of "Sowing Seeds in Denny," "The Second Chance," "The Black Creek Stopping House," and "In Times like These" TORONTO THOMAS ALLEN BOSTON AND NEW YORK HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY 1917 1917, BY NELLIE L. McCLUNG ALL RIGHTS RESERVED _Published November 1917_ HOPE Down through the ages, a picture has come of the woman who weepeth: Tears are her birthright, and sorrow and sadness her portion: Weeping endures for a night, and prolongeth its season Far in the day, with the will of God For a reason! Such has the world long accepted, as fitting and real; Plentiful have been the causes of grief, without stinting; Patient and sad have the women accepted the ruling, Learning life's lessons, with hardly a word of complaint At the schooling. But there's a limit to tears, even tears, and a new note is sounding: Hitherto they have wept without hope, never seeing an ending; Now hope has dawned in their poor lonely hearts, And a message they're sending Over the world to their sisters in weeping, a message is flashing, Flashing the brighter, for the skies are so dark And war thunders crashing! And this is the message the war-stricken women send out In their sorrow: "Yesterday and to-day have gone wrong, But we still have to-morrow!" Contents FOREWORD 1 I. BEACH DAYS 22 II. WORKING IN! 35 III. LET'S PRETEND 46 IV. PICTURES 53 V. SAVING OUR SOULS 58 VI. SURPRISES 70 VII. CONSERVATION 92 VIII. "PERMISSION" 112 IX. THE SLACKER--IN UNIFORM 142 X. NATIONAL SERVICE--ONE WAY 154 XI. THE ORPHAN 171 XII. THE WAR-MOTHER 193 XIII. THE BELIEVING CHURCH 210 XIV. THE LAST RESERVES 227 XV. LIFE'S TRAGEDY 241 XVI. WAITING! 247 The Next of Kin FOREWORD