The Travelin' Jew Salesman

FICTION The Travelin' Jew Salesman Cora Mae West IT WAS A LONG TIME AGO IN KENTUCKY. The travelin' Jew Salesman would hop the bus from Harlan to Black Joe, exit the bus, walk across the swinging bridge spanning the Cumberland River, and head for the nearest house. He wore good, black leather shoes which reflected his face when he stooped over to set his grips down. At day's end, the shoes would be dusty from walking the unpaved dirt and cinder roads of Black Joe. In each hand he carried a grip bustin' open with frills. His supply would shrink as he worked his way from BlackJoe to High Splint, where he'd hop the bus back to Harlan and the dry goods store he owned. From time to time he'd set the grips down, draw a large white handkerchief from the coat pocket of his black suit, mop his brow, refold the hankie, place itback inhis pocket, and pick up his grips. We sat on the porch and wondered how he could bear to wear a suit in the heat ofJune, July and August, but he always did. After mopping his brow, he'd continue his travels, which eventually brought him to our house. We waited patiently for him and his grips to arrive on our front porch. The wait was worth it! He stood broad-shouldered, five feet four, with a complexion tanned from the hot Kentucky sun. His face was clear, though very fine lines etched his forehead. Short, wavyblack hair parted in the middle gave his face more width. His small black eyes blazed with excitement whenever he held each item of clothing up for someone to see. He had a way with the villagers, some ofwhom owed their souls to the local company store, whichcharged veryhighprices for food, clothing and othermerchandise. On the day travelin' salesman was expected, women and children sat on their front porches, eager to see him walking down the road. He was a welcome sight for the ladies to behold, for his prices and his terms were right. The men would be away in the coal mines or in the corn fields of some rich person, while the women spent some of their hard-earned money with the travelin' Jew, who had a great sales pitch. "With a vun dollah down and a dollah a week, I'll let you have deese," he declared, holding a multi-colored dress and matching sun bonnet up in the air to dazzle the customer. When an item caught 92 Mama's fancy and she held it up to her body, his eyes beamed and he blurted out, "Miz Medlock, that looks mar-velous for you." Mama always bought something from him—a dress or two or a pink pinafore for me to wear to church, or sometimes a shirt for dad. She even bought the flowered sun bonnet to wear while gardening or walking to the coal company's general store. She bought thin, lace curtains for the front room, which doubled as my bedroom at night. Sometimes Mama overspent by a few dollars, which caused her to have to borrow money she'd set aside for the Raleigh Man, who sold flavors, butterscotch and lemon pie mixes, or the Liniment Man, who sold ointment for aches and pains and a coal miner's sore muscles. Mama would sell extra pounds of butter or gallons of milk in order to come up with the several dollars needed to pay each week on the items she'd purchased. No matter how many items she bought for a dollar a week, she always had the travelin' salesman's money. After he made a sale at our house, the travelin' Jew salesman would repack his grips, which had been flung open on mybed in the front room to reveal all his wares, head for the door, turn in the doorway and yell, "Thank you, thank you, Miz Medklock! I hope your husband vili like." The travelin' salesman was extremely popular, because his prices were more than fair and because there were no stores in the villages except the high-priced general stores owned by the...