question?”
Gilmore cleared his throat, then read from a piece of paper. “Given the value of the various ranches, as appraised by the county tax commission, and the number of head of cattle each of you will be bringing to this enterprise, Mr. Quentin will own eighty-seven percent.”
“Eighty-seven percent? Isn’t that a lot? I mean, if we sell our herd, that means you get eighty-seven percent of the money we make?”
“It also means I’m responsible for eighty-seven percent of the cost of operation,” Quentin pointed out. “Unless you want to assume a larger percentage of the expenses.”
“No, no, I—I guess you are right,” Peters agreed.
Quentin smiled. “But that’s not the way to look at it, Peters,” he said. “Remember, the whole idea is that we are partners of the whole. All of you will be part owners of the Tumbling Q ranch.”
“Yeah,” Gillespie said. “Yeah, I like that idea.”
“Gentlemen, if you’ll just sign the paper, we’ll be in business,” Quentin said, holding his hand out toward the desk where Gilmore stood with the paper and a pen, ready for the other ranchers to sign. Gillespie, Peters, and the other three ranchers present signed. But when it came time for Colby to sign, he hesitated.
“Are you going to sign, or not?” Gilmore asked.
“I don’t know,” Colby replied. “I was all right with the idea of joining our herds. But the land? I’m not so good with that. After the war, I come out here from Missouri and started cowboyin’. I liked the work, and I never worked for a boss that I didn’t like. But from the time I first come here, I always had it in my mind to someday own me my own ranch. Well, after a lot of hard work, I finally managed to get my own spread. Oh, it ain’t much, I guess, considerin’ the size of some of the other ranches hereabout. But it’s mine. Now, if I join up with this corporation you’re talkin’ about, it won’t be mine anymore. I’ll be right back where I started, just another cowhand working someone else’s ranch.
“That’s not true,” Quentin said. “You won’t be an employee of the ranch, you’ll be one of the owners, a partner in a ranch that is bigger than anything you’ve ever dreamed of.”
“Consider this, Colby,” Gillespie said. “If you don’t join, you’ll be even smaller, compared to what we will be. You’ll be squeezed out of business in no time at all.”
“Listen to what Gillespie is saying, Colby,” Quentin said. “He’s tellin’ you like it is.”
“James, me an’ you been friends ever since you come out here,” Peters said to Colby. “I think Gillespie is makin’ sense. I don’t think you got no other choice, but to join up with the rest of us.”
“But what about the men we’d need to work an outfit this large?” Colby asked. “Won’t we have to hire a lot more men?”
“Not really,” Quentin replied. “Because we’ll be poolin’ all our cowboys so we won’t need any more men than what we already have.”
“I only got two hands workin’ for me and I do as much or more than either of them. Now, I don’t mind doin’ it for my own ranch, but looks like the way this is settin’ up, I’ll wind up workin’ for the company.”
“Ah, but don’t forget. You
“A company’s got to have a boss, don’t it?” Colby asked.
“Yes, of course,” Quentin replied. “Where would any outfit be without a boss?”
“Then that means I’ll be workin’ for that boss.”
“By the way, how do we select the boss?” Peters asked.
“We’ll vote.”
“Each of us get a vote?”
“Yes.”
“Well, in that case, I don’t reckon it’ll be all that bad,” Peters said.
“One vote for each percentage point of the ranch that you own,” Quentin said.
“Wait a minute. So if I own six percent, I get six votes?”
“Yes.”
“And you get eighty-seven votes?” Peters asked.
“Yes.”
“Then you are the only vote that counts.”
“If you want to put it that way,” Quentin replied.
“What the hell, Peters, Quentin is the biggest rancher here, and this was his idea,” Gillespie said. “When you think about it, it only makes sense that he be the boss.”
“I suppose you are right.”
Although Colby was holding the pen, he had still not signed the paper. Now, he put the pen down.
“James, what are you doin’?” Peters asked.
“I’m sorry,” Colby said. “I just can’t do it. I worked too hard to get my own ranch. I just can’t give it away like this.”
“Mr. Colby,” Quentin said. “I have to do what is best for all of us. That means that if you don’t join us, you won’t be able to survive, you will have no market for your cattle, and your ranch will be squeezed out. You’ll be
