Pawn Shop Circuit: Jockey Shifts and Empty Shelves
Neil was reading the classified ads behind the counter when I walked in, a stogie clenched between his teeth. I was startled to see Neil's shelves empty. Every television and DVD player was gone. As I approached the counter, I saw one lone cowboy gun with pearlescent grips under the glass. "Damn, Neil," I said, "What happened? Did a hotel buy you out of TVs?"
"No," he replied, "It's just that time of year."
"Time of year?"
"Tax returns.........."
"Ah ha!"
I asked to see the cowboy gun. Neil said "Ten bucks if you can tell me what's wrong with it in thirty seconds......."
I looked it over quickly, it was an old Hawes 22 single action revolver. It had a cracked ejector rod housing. I pulled the hammer back, no full cock notch........"No full cock notch," I said.
"Really?"
"Yeah, look........"
"Damn....so that's why the firing pin was removed huh?"
I looked, and indeed, the firing pin was gone. "I got took on that one," Neil stated. I'll take the hundred I have in it........"
I thanked Neil for his generosity, but told him I just didn't have a place on my wall to hang it, and if I did, I would hang something else. Neil smirked. "Yeah, maybe I ought to put the thing on a nail by the register to remind me to look better at guns."
"Maybe a biker will buy it, thread the barrel, and screw it onto a jockey shifter," I suggested.
"Maybe......"
Labels: Pawn Shop Circuit
3 Comments:
I hope you got the 10 bucks.
You've probably thought of this already, but...
Maybe delaying your pawn shop posts by a few days would keep the scavengers from nipping at your heels. I can see why you would cut back, but I hope you can find a why to continue your unique pawn shop series.
X:
A pawn shop owner getting "took?" I wouldn't have believed it had he not said it!
Mike Harbour
Helena, Montana
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