Summary

In the first section of “The Portrait,” a traveling salesman comes through town soon after travelers have returned from the harvest season. He offers a three-dimensional portrait for thirty dollars. While the cost is very high, the salesman has a sample and everyone agrees that it looks very lifelike. Don Mateo and his wife decide to commission a portrait of their son, Chuy, who was killed in Korea. They give the salesman the only picture they have of Chuy and he promises to be careful to return the photo along with the finished portrait. Weeks pass and then someone finds a sack filled with pictures. They discover it’s the photos given to the salesman. Don Mateo goes to San Antonio where he believes the salesman is from and hunts the man down. When he locates him, he demands the portrait and the...