A couple of years later, I owned my own piano company, and when I advertised in that area, the postcards started coming to me.

 

几年之后，我有了自己的钢琴公司。当我在那个地区做广告的时候，邮卡开始不断的向我寄来。

 

For months, I ignored them –what else could I do?

 

开始，我不去管它—我还能做什么呢？

 

But then, one day when I was in the area something came over me.

 

但是后来，有一天，当我到那个地区的时候，什么东西一下攫住了我的心。

 

I had a red mahogany piano on my little truck.

 

我刚好有一架红木钢琴在我的小货车上。

 

Despite knowing that I was about to make a terrible business decision, I delivered the piano to her and told her I would carry the contract myself at $10 a month with no interest, and that would mean 52 payments.

 

还是将钢琴运到了老太太那里，并且告诉她，我本人承保这一合同，每月付十块钱，五十二个月付清，不计利息。

 

I took the new piano in the house and placed it where I thought the roof would be least likely to rain on it.

 

尽管我知道我将要做出一个糟糕的生意决定，我我将新钢琴搬进屋内，摆放在我认为最不可能被雨淋到的地方。

 

I admonished her and the little girl to try to keep the chickens off of it, and I left-sure I had just thrown away a new piano.

 

我告诫她和女孩，尽量使鸡远离钢琴。我离开了—心想，我刚刚仍掉一架新钢琴。

 

But the payments came in, all 52 of them as agreed-sometime with coins taped to a 35 inch card in the envelope.

 

然而，所有五十二笔付款一一来到，正如双方所商定的。有时付款是一些硬币，用胶带粘在一个3 x 5英寸大小的卡片上，放在信封里。

 

It was incredible.

 

简直不敢相信。

 

So, I put the incident out of my mind for 20 years.

 

之后，我将这件事置于脑后有20年了。

 

Then one day I was in Memphis on other business, and after dinner at the Holiday Inn on Levee, I went into the lounge.

 

后来，我为其他生意来到孟菲斯。一天，在假日旅馆，晚饭后我走进休息室。

 

As I was sitting at the bar having an after dinner drink, I heard the most beautiful piano music behind me.

 

正当我坐在酒吧间饮餐后酒，我听到身后传来美妙至极的钢琴曲。

 

I looked around, and there was a lovely young woman playing a very nice grand piano.

 

我转身观看，一位可爱的青年女子正在一架非常漂亮的大钢琴上弹奏。

 

Being a pianist of some ability myself, I was stunned by her virtuosity, and I picked up my drink and moved to a table beside her where I could listen and watch.

 

身为一个一定水准的钢琴家， 我仍被她精湛的技艺惊呆了。

 

She smiled at me, asked for requests, and when she took a break she sat down at my table.

 

她身旁的一个桌子旁，边听边看。她冲我一笑，问我是否要点曲目。当她休息时，她过来坐在我的桌边。

 

“Aren't you the man who sold my grandma a piano a long time ago?”

 

“你不就是那个很久以前卖给我奶奶一架钢琴的人吗？”

 

It didn't ring a bell, so I asked her to explain.

 

这句话并没有让我想起来什么，我要她解释一下。

 

She started to tell me, and I suddenly remembered.

 

她开始谈了起来。 忽然，我想起来了。

 

My Lord, it was her! It was the little barefoot girl in the feedsack dress!

 

我的天啊，是她！是那个光着脚，身穿露肩长裙的小姑娘！

 

She told me her name was Elise and since her grandmother couldn't afford to pay for lessons, she had learned to play by listening to the radio.

 

她告诉我她叫艾丽丝，由于她奶奶请不起老师上课，她是通过跟收音机学习弹琴的。