The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-08-09
A TUNNEL KISS.

train which was hurrying toward tho
Rhine We had struck up ON acquaint-
anoeshtp, Us tourists SO often do. Az q
SuIe I don't caro- to hive anything to do
with my fellow passengers, but Fraulein
Martha had quito oaptivated me AS she
entcred the compartment for nonsmokers
bad taken hep travelling bag from her
hand and put It carefully OH tho rack for
her. Then had resigned my oo5por scot
10 hen and put up the window, so as 70
protocol her from the draft, which she found
too strong. AS the train started we ex-
changed word In praise OF the weather,
which had become much cooler after
heavy rain md was very pleasant for
travelling, and wosgrndunlly got into
very interesting conversation
Fraulein Martha chattod very nicely and
made no protcnsion to superf1ne education
Sho could not be called young, but when
she laughed she becGme child. Her laugh
was olcaf and siHery, and her faoo lost its
rather serious expression. This induced
mo to mako all kinds Of jokes, which evil
IDENTIFY amused her immensely. When a
girl laughs as Fraulcin Martha did, the
man who provokcs the laughter becomes
humorist in spite OF himself Sho was
capital listener, too, and 1t Is t, rars
thing to find good listener among tho
Nother Sex" AS sho listened her faco TO
spondcd to oil I said. Besides being SO
charming mentally sho had very pretty,
elegant figure, which the eye of connois-
sour (my oyc) never wenricd Of Watching
and discovering new traits of beauty. She
was dressed in very simple travelling
gown, which displayed to perfection all
tho pretty lines of her form.
Sho was not alone. In tho next seats
NJ fhfNC ~,
and opposite thom WAS their daughter, O
pretty, shy girl, who had just emerged
from the bread and butter miss state.
These people were relatives Of Fraulein
Martha, who, when I asked her to toll mo
something about them, said that tho mnn
was called Fcnchcl and was possessed of
tho mistaken idea that ho was tho wisost
man in Christcndom. He thought that he
could hear tho grass grow If no tried to
though, rs matter Of fact, he never did try
to-and also that he possessed tho gift of
prophecy. To him coming events always
considerably cast their shadows before II
no did not happen to havo foretold On
event before it happened, it was simply
because 1t had slipped his mcmory-an-
other time he wouldn't forget Frau
Fenohel admired her husband's extraor-
dinary qualities and therefore did not dare
to contradict him when he assorted that
the young man who was sitting with their
daughter was no son-in-law for him, for
it was easy to sec that, once married, the
young rascal would turn out thorough
Don Juan and would cause unheard Of
misery In the household. The young man
In question, who was called Taube- Bern
hard Taube, did not look likely to fulfill
such prophecy He was as shy as Frau
lein Roschen Fenchel, with whom no was
deeply In love. Both these facts were quite
evident The most daring deed he had
ever perpotrated was when Herr Fenohel
having informed him that no intended to
accompany his wife and daughter to tho
Rhine on the following Wednesday, he
Taube-had said that, strange to say, he,
TOO, was going to the Rhine on the Same
day and with Horr Fenchel's permission
would join them
This was not very agreeable to old Ben-
ohel In the first place, as prophet, he
ought to have forcscen the young mans
intended journey, and, secondly, he was
afraid that Taube's society would BIO moro
acceptable to Roschen than he approved Of
In the latter assumption he was quito
right Roschen was as happy as Herr
Taube although the young people had
only venSured to hint as much to Frau
Fenchel, who, aware of her husbands
aversion to Taube because Of his conceal
ed Don Juan proolivities, had limited in re-
turn that Roschen was too young to think
OF love, and Herr Taubo was not old
enough
Fraulein Martha told me this In a man
nor which showed that she was heartily
sorry for the young folks 1t was evident
that she WAS on the side Of the lovers and
was very angry with Fenchel for tyrannio-
ally trying to hold them apart Although
abe was not full Of that eager desire for
matchmaking which is SO strongly devel-
oped In many ladies who have left youth
ful follies and youthful wisdom behind
them, still she loved Rosohen dearly and
wanted her to be happy. There are some
girls" she said, Ito whom single Life
would mean misery and ruin, and our
Rosohen is ono Of them. If she is not al
lowed to marry, her life will BIO spoiled"
BY this time our train had approached
series of tunnels. We were occasional
~ plunged into deep darkness, in which
nothing was heard beyond the rumbling
OF tho carriages and the occasional invol.
untary "Ahl" of passenger who was
reading tho newspaper or studying his
gutdebook, and who was suddenly disturb
ed In his occupation. Fraulein Martha
wanted to find something in her handbag
and in tunnel took of her silk glove, tho
better to accomplish her object. Whom we
again emerged into daylight, I noticed
that her ungloved hand was Of surprising
Wilderness. Its beauty 1t is beyond me to
describe, for black letters are not adapted
to tho description of such Wilderness. And
what an elegantly shaped hand it vast I
laid bet with myself that it would quite
disappear in my own hand If Fraulein
Martha would BIO SO accommodating as to
let mo try the experiment. But she was
not inclined to DO so accommodating.
Nevertheless 1 could not think Of losing