Many years ago, when I was a man in my twenties, I worked as a salesman for a piano company.
We __1__ our pianos all over the state by advertising in small town __2__. Every time we advertise, we would receive a reply on a postcard which said, “Please __3__ me a new piano for my little granddaughter. It __4__ be red mahogany (红木). I can pay $10 a month with my egg money.” Of course, we could not sell a(n) __5__ piano for $10 a month. __6__ her cards kept on coming.
A couple of years later, I __7__ my own piano company, and when I __8__ in that area, the postcards started coming to me. For months, I ignored (不理睬) __9__—what else could I do?
But then, one day I __10__ to be in the area. I had a red mahogany piano on my little truck. Despite knowing that I was about to __11__ a terrible business decision, I managed to find the old woman and took the new piano in her house and placed it __12__ I thought the roof would be least likely to rain on it. I told her and a little barefoot girl to try to __13__ the chickens off it, and I felt sure I had just __14__ a new piano.
But the __15__ came in, all 52 of them as agreed, sometimes with coins. It was unbelievable!
Then one day I was in Memphis on __16__ business. As I was sitting at the bar having a drink, I heard the most beautiful piano music behind me. I looked __17__， and there was a lovely young woman __18__ a very nice ground piano.
