TheodoreRoosevelt,26thpresidentoftheUnitedStates,workedforatimeasarancher.Oneday,onarangeoflandbelongingtohisneighbourGregorLang,Roosevelttogetherwithoneofhiscowpokeslassoedanasyetunbrandedsteer.Lightingafire,thecowpokepreparedtheironsandwasgoingtoapplythebrandwhenRooseveltstoppedhim.
"Wait,itshouldbeLang'sbrand,"hesaid."That'sallright,boss,"thecowpokereplied,applyingthebrand."Butyou'reputtingonmybrand,"Rooseveltprotested."That'sright,"saidthecowpoke,"Ialwaysputontheboss'sbrand."
"Dropthatiron,"Rooseveltdemanded,"andgetbacktotheranchandgetout.Idon'twantyouanymore.Amanwhowillstealformewillstealfromme."
美國第二十六任總統羅斯福曾經開辦牧場,有一天,和手下一名牛仔在鄰人格雷哥.蘭的牧場上,用套索逮住一隻未打烙印的小公牛。那牛仔生火,燒熱烙鐵,正要按在牛身上,卻被羅斯福叫住。
羅斯福說:「等等,你應用蘭氏烙印。」牛仔一邊把烙鐵按下去一邊說:「老闆,沒問題。」羅斯福不以為然說:「但你打的,是我們農場烙印。」牛仔說:「不錯,我只會打老闆的烙印。」
羅斯福斷然說:「放下那烙鐵,回我農場去,然後走吧。我不再要你效勞了。為我盜人財物者,也會盜我財物。」
【附注】Cowpoke是俚語,等於cowboy。留意That'sallright是「不要緊」、「沒關係」的意思,和That'sright(不錯)不同,例如:"Sorry,Ididn'tmeantosaythat.""That'sallright."(「對不起,我不是有心這樣說的。」「不要緊。」)