He ran out of the depot forthwith. Sherry had crossed the road. Markham saw him coming out of one of the taverns lining the street in that immediate vicinity.
Sherry had one or two men with him with whom he had evidently been treating. They walked along with him until they reached another haunt of the same class, and went in there.
Markham got in a doorway near the entrance to the place. In a few minutes Sherry came out to the street.
He had his hat stuck back and his head up by this time, and was officious and blatant in his manner.
“I’d like to stay with you, boys,” he announced. “Join you later. Got a big responsibility on my shoulders just now.”
“That so?” smirked one of the hangers on.
“You bet. See that paper?” and Sherry produced a document.
“We see it.”
“I can tie up the whole railroad system here if I want to,” he bragged.
Markham hurried off in the direction of the freight tracks. There was a wide crossing where the sidings began. A flagman guarded this. Markham ran up to him. This man, as he knew, was a brother of the railroader he had saved from being run over by the freight train.