Georgie returned at four, and Raquel, who had been down at the shipping pen ever since he had left that morning, met him at the big gate. She seized the message he held out. It was from the El Paso freight agent, stating that he could not let her have any cars until after April first. On account of the war all transportation was congested and every available inch of space had been tied up, by orders from “up above.” Raquel’s fighting blood rose. She had felt all along that there was “something up.” “‘A. B.’ is back of this,” she said with tightened lips. “He’s in Kansas City, Sis,” Georgie told her. “I heard ’em saying over to Red Dog. Shipped round March first along with his cattle.” “Well, I’ll go down to town and see why I can’t get my cars when I ordered them a month ahead of time.” It was unthinkable! She must have accommodations. What if she should mismanage things--fail? She shook such a thought away from her. Surely the freight office and the commission man were not trying to take advantage of her just because she was a girl! Wait till tomorrow. A glorious day dawned and the old car did not ease up on sixty miles an hour until they reached La Cruz. Raquel was not thinking of stone-bruised tires now. She got El Paso on the telephone. “Mr. Massey? We’ve done business with your road for years. What is the matter about our cattle cars? Is that true? Why is it impossible to let us have them?” “Miss Daniels? I can’t say ma’am. It seems queer, I know. I had the reservations for you for March fifteenth all right; then I got orders clearing the way for shipments for ‘A. B.’ Meyers; then two Arizona ranches were set ahead by orders from up above to March fifteenth, that date given you. Unless you can get at it from higher up that’s final, I’m afraid.” He spoke regretfully, for Mr. Daniels and Los Ranchos were popular. Raquel came out of the booth fighting mad. Yet her heart was sick, for she felt in this mixup something that was not quite straight business. What, what must she do? She was to see the Shift commission man at two-thirty. He would return to El Paso at four-thirty. She might have to take his offer rather than have any slip up. With half a mind to go down to El Paso herself, she put off the decision till after three. She went into the post office, and collected her mail, hoping to find some inspiration there. Among the papers was a letter from Jimmy. “By the time you have this,” he wrote, “Raquel my dear, I shall be back at Fort Bliss. Won’t that be great? Being just outside El Paso, I’ll be able to get in there fairly often. Why can’t you come down for a bit of fun? I’m dying to go to a movie!” Quick! Back to the telegraph office she flew. A message was soon speeding over the wires to Lieutenant James Hovey, Fort Bliss. “What’s holding back my cars?” was the query. “See what you can do for us and wire if it will do any good for me to come down.”