Many years ago, when I was a young man in my twenties, I worked as a salesman for a St.Louis piano company.

 

许多年以前，在我还是一个二十来岁青年的时候，我在圣露易斯一家钢琴公司做推销员。

We sold our pianos all over the state by advertising in small town newspapers and then,

我们的钢琴销往密苏里全州，方式是先在各小镇报纸上刊登广告，

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.

等收到一定数量的回信后，我们就用小货车载上钢琴，到回信人所在地区，卖给他们。

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.

每当广告在密苏里东南部的产棉区登出以后，我们都会收到一张邮卡回件，上面写道： “请给我的小孙女带一架新钢琴来。

It must be red mahogany I can pay $10 a month with my egg money.”

一定要红木的。我可以用我卖鸡蛋的钱，每月付十块。”

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.

老太太在那张卡片上写压呀，写呀，直到两面都写满，几乎没有什么地方写地址为止。

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.

当然，我们是不会为了一个月十块钱而卖一架新钢琴的，没有金融公司愿意为那么一点儿钱而承保合同，我们没有理会她的回信。

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，我碰巧在那个地区走访其他回信的人。出于好奇，我决定去看一看这位老太太。

I found pretty much what I expected: The old lady lived in a one-room sharecroppers cabin in the middle of a cotton field.

我所看到的几近我所意料：老太太住在棉田中央的，一幢供农忙时季节工们居住的简陋房子里。

The cabin had a dirt floor and there were chickens in the house.

屋里地面脏唏唏的，房子里还养着鸡。

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.

显然，老太太没有以信用购买任何东西的资格—没有汽车，没有电话，没有真正的工作。除了头上的屋顶，一无所有。

I could see daylight through it in several places.

况且屋顶也很糟糕，有几处都透进了阳光。

Her little granddaughter was about 10, barefoot and wearing a feedsack dress.

她的小孙女十岁左右，赤着脚，穿一件露肩膀的长裙子。

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.

我向老太太解释我们不能为了一个月十块钱卖一架新钢琴，不要再一看到我们的广告就给我们写信了。

I drove away heartsick, but my advice had no effect-she still sent us the same post card every six weeks.

我非常失望地离开了她们。但是，我的劝告根本无效，她仍然每六个星期寄来一张相同的邮卡。

Always wanting a new piano, red mahogany, please, and swearing she would never miss a $10 payment.

总是想要一架新钢琴，红木的，并且发誓她绝不会漏掉一次十块钱的付款。

It was sad.

真难过。