HTML код с которым свойство transition работает:

<div class="rest-name"><h2>Название новости</h2></div>
<div class="infobox">
<img src="img/thumb_cappellos.jpg" width="320" height="205" alt="" />
<div class="mask">
<div class=contact>Краткая новость 1</div> <div class="desc">Краткая новость 2</div>
<div class="info"><a href="#" >Подробнее</a></div>       
</div>

Шаблон shortstory.tpl с которым не всплывает текст с тега {short-story}:

<div class="rest-name"><h2>{title}</h2></div>
<div class="infobox">
<img src="{image-1}" width="320" height="205" alt="" />
<div class="mask">
<div class=contact>Краткая новость 1</div> <div class="desc">{short-story}</div>
<div class="info">[full-link]Подробнее[/full-link]</div>      
</div>

.infobox .mask {
width: 100%;
height: 100%;
position: absolute;
overflow: hidden;
top: 0;
}
.infobox .contact {
font-family: Tahoma;
font-size: 13px;
font-weight:bold;
text-align:center;
position: relative;
color: #161616;
padding: 5px;
}
.infobox .desc {
font-family: Tahoma;
font-size: 13px;
position: relative;
color: #161616;
padding: 0 5px;
}
.infobox .info {
position: absolute;
overflow: hidden;
bottom:10px;
left:30%;
}
.infobox .info a {
display: inline-block;
text-decoration: none;
color: #fff;
text-transform: uppercase;
padding: 4px 7px;
background: rgba(22, 22, 22, 0.9);
-webkit-box-shadow: 0 0 1px #fff;
-moz-box-shadow: 0 0 1px #fff;
box-shadow: 0 0 1px #fff;
}
.infobox a.info: hover {
-webkit-box-shadow: 0 0 5px #000;
-moz-box-shadow: 0 0 5px #000;
box-shadow: 0 0 5px #000;
}
.infobox .mask {
-ms-filter: "progid: DXImageTransform.Microsoft.Alpha(Opacity=0)";
filter: alpha(opacity=0);
opacity: 0;
background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 1.0);
-webkit-transition: all 0.4s ease-in-out;
-moz-transition: all 0.4s ease-in-out;
-o-transition: all 0.4s ease-in-out;
-ms-transition: all 0.4s ease-in-out;
transition: all 0.4s ease-in-out;
}
.infobox p {
-ms-filter: "progid: DXImageTransform.Microsoft.Alpha(Opacity=0)";
filter: alpha(opacity=0);
opacity: 0;
-webkit-transition: all 0.2s linear;
-moz-transition: all 0.2s linear;
-o-transition: all 0.2s linear;
-ms-transition: all 0.2s linear;
transition: all 0.2s linear;
}
.infobox a.info {
-ms-filter: "progid: DXImageTransform.Microsoft.Alpha(Opacity=0)";
filter: alpha(opacity=0);
opacity: 0;
-webkit-transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out;
-moz-transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out;
-o-transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out;
-ms-transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out;
transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out;
}
.infobox:hover .mask {
-ms-filter: "progid: DXImageTransform.Microsoft.Alpha(Opacity=100)";
filter: alpha(opacity=100);
opacity: 1;
}
.infobox:hover h2,
.infobox:hover p,
.infobox:hover a.info {
-ms-filter: "progid: DXImageTransform.Microsoft.Alpha(Opacity=100)";
filter: alpha(opacity=100);
opacity: 1;
}
.infobox:hover p {
-webkit-transition-delay: 0.1s;
-moz-transition-delay: 0.1s;
-o-transition-delay: 0.1s;
-ms-transition-delay: 0.1s;
transition-delay: 0.1s;
}
.infobox:hover a.info {
-webkit-transition-delay: 0.2s;
-moz-transition-delay: 0.2s;
-o-transition-delay: 0.2s;
-ms-transition-delay: 0.2s;
transition-delay: 0.2s;
}