The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1903-09-02
Quick Transition

- eNN-tN' ~ NtN-AA- A4NA AAt % aNtA VIC AAAHr
eler passes through fat, unlnteresung
country shut ia by hills; then he darts
into a tunnel. When be cmerges a pam
Drama Of the Hudson river bursts sud-
denly upon his view There before him
is the Tappan Zee. the broadest part Of
the river, teeming with all manner Of
craft, from a tiny skin to an immense
steamer while beyond and about tower
the highlands.
4 Delightful said d gentleman sit
ting opposite me the first time / wit
messed this transformation scene.
"Entrancingr' replied.
Il have noticed your expression" he
added sympathedcally, because the
tunnel is Of especial interest to me. In
it ea1le for me a Transformation as
marked as that between its south and
north ends
Il / begged for the story, and he gave It
to me.
From our first meeting 1t was appar-
ent to both Of Us that Della Pennington
and were made for each other. She
was the daughter Of an aristocratic
New Yorker, and was young army
officer wlshout fortune When I asked
her father for her hand I was not sur
prise4 10 meet with a fat refusal. De-
Tia was not one of those willowy twigs
/ to be bent at the option Of the holder
She had Inherited an independence Of
character and did not propose that our
lives should be wrecked by any one.
She Informed her father that she in
tended to marry me with or without
his consent, whereupon he directed her
to prepare for a trip to Europe.
Della was too young to openly refuse
to obey, and it was evident that our
affair must be managed clandestinely.
/ was stationed at the time at one Of
the forts in New York harbor, but was
ordered to report for duty on certain
date at West Point Before leaving
/ was astonished at receiving word
from Della that She had concluded
to obey her father and 60 to Europe, to
be gone three years. Time would show
whether we were SO attached that we
would be of the same mind on. her re-
turn. For herself her heart would con-
time as it was, but the pressure upon
her WAS SO strong that she feared
/ marriage Of convenience would be her
inevitable fate
II replied to her note both coldly and
despondenty
4 go to my new post tomorrow
wrote IN conclusion, while l believe
you sail in a day or two for Europe.
/ consider this note a last farewell.
THE evening before my intended de-
/ parture l received a note from Della,
brought openly By one Of her fathers
servants, saying that she would like to
send me a souvenir by which to re-
member her. It had not vet been sent
home, but IL would inform her by
what train ! intended going she would
send it to the station. / gave the train
time verbally to the servant Taking
her action to be submission to her Ia
! Tiers viii, had neither the heart nor
the eomplaceney to write another fare
well
I'm the morning at the station the
same servant appeared and handed me
a box containing a little gold heart. 1t
gave me no satisfaction. Indeed II
she had told me that she did not love
me I think would have the more cas-
lily overcome my disappointment !
boarded the train. which pulled out Of
the station. ana began a journey over
| the stretch of country we have just
\ passed. It is needless to say that my
I meditations were no more pleasing
than the scenery. sat with folded
arms and head down, only occasionally
| glancing ont Of the window AS for
my fellow passengers, they did not In
| the least interest me. Finally the low
hills OH eitrer side shut Us in closer
and closer end | began to think that
we must soon run either over or under
them. Then suddenly we struck the
| tunnel.
"The few moments we Were passing
through it were the most gloomy | have
ever known. I disliked tunnels and
never entered one without experiencing
something Of their somberness. In that
dark passage it seemed to me was con-
4 centrated all the sadness OF d life dis
1 appointment. the consciousness that !
had been wrecked. bnghted, imbittered
4 left to live without that which would
have made life worth living.
''Then there came a few seconds Of
dawning light. and this beautiful view
sprang into existence. For the moment
my attention was drawn from my be-
reavement and concentrated upon the
scene Bat another matter immediate
~ drew it aside When we entered the
tunnel ! had sat alone; now some one
was sitting beside me ! turned and
looked into the face off,
"DeliaW
How did you divine itf''
mo other transition could have com
pared with entering and leaving the
tunnel But 20 on; explain"
Della to disarm all suspicion showed
her father her letters to me. The ask
ing for my train was also q ruse to
know when would CO. Disguised as
an old woman she had gone to the sta
ton, entered the same car as ! and rid
den behind me. waiting an opportunity
10 address me without attracting atten-
ton. When we entered the tunnel it