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Many years ago, when I was a young man in my twenties, I worked as a salesman for a St.Louis piano company.
許多年以前，在我還是一個二十來歲青年的時候，我在圣露易斯一家鋼琴公司做推銷員。
We sold our pianos all over the state by advertising in small town newspapers and then,
我們的鋼琴銷往密蘇里全州，方式是先在各小鎮報紙上刊登廣告，
when we had received sufficient replies, we would load our little trucks, and drive into the area and sell the pianos to those who had replied.
等收到一定數量的回信后，我們就用小貨車載上鋼琴，到回信人所在地區，賣給他們。
Every time we would advertise in the cotton country of Southeast Missouri, we would receive a reply on a postcard which said, in effect, ”Please bring me a new piano for my little granddaughter.
每當廣告在密蘇里東南部的產棉區登出以后，我們都會收到一張郵卡回件，上面寫道： “請給我的小孫女帶一架新鋼琴來。
It must be red mahogany I can pay $10 a month with my egg money.”
一定要紅木的。我可以用我賣雞蛋的錢，每月付十塊。”
The old lady had scrawled on and on until she filled up the postcard, then turned it over and even wrote on the front-around and around the edges until she filled up there was barely room for the address.
老太太在那張卡片上寫壓呀，寫呀，直到兩面都寫滿，幾乎沒有什么地方寫地址為止。
Of course, we could not sell a new piano for $10 a month. No finance company would carry a contract with payments that small, so we ignored her postcards.
當然，我們是不會為了一個月十塊錢而賣一架新鋼琴的，沒有金融公司愿意為那么一點兒錢而承保合同，我們沒有理會她的回信。
One day, however, I happened to be in that area calling on other replies, and out of curiosity I decided to look the old lady up.
然而，有一天，我碰巧在那個地區走訪其他回信的人。出于好奇，我決定去看一看這位老太太。
I found pretty much what I expected: The old lady lived in a one-room sharecroppers cabin in the middle of a cotton field.
我所看到的幾近我所意料：老太太住在棉田中央的，一幢供農忙時季節工們居住的簡陋房子里。
The cabin had a dirt floor and there were chickens in the house.
屋里地面臟唏唏的，房子里還養著雞。
Obviously, the old lady could not have qualified to purchase anything on credit-on car, no phone, no real job, nothing but a roof over her head and not a very good one at that.
顯然，老太太沒有以信用購買任何東西的資格—沒有汽車，沒有電話，沒有真正的工作。除了頭上的屋頂，一無所有。
I could see daylight through it in several places.
況且屋頂也很糟糕，有幾處都透進了陽光。
Her little granddaughter was about 10, barefoot and wearing a feedsack dress.
她的小孫女十歲左右，赤著腳，穿一件露肩膀的長裙子。
I explained to the old lady that we could not sell a new piano for $10 a month and that she should stop writing to us every time she saw our ad.
我向老太太解釋我們不能為了一個月十塊錢賣一架新鋼琴，不要再一看到我們的廣告就給我們寫信了。
I drove away heartsick, but my advice had no effect-she still sent us the same post card every six weeks.
我非常失望地離開了她們。但是，我的勸告根本無效，她仍然每六個星期寄來一張相同的郵卡。
Always wanting a new piano, red mahogany, please, and swearing she would never miss a $10 payment.
總是想要一架新鋼琴，紅木的，并且發誓她絕不會漏掉一次十塊錢的付款。
It was sad.
真難過。
