Pawn Shop Circuit: Jockey Shifts and Empty Shelves

I left work today with a vision of a Ruger Standard pistol laying in a pawn shop somewhere. I could see it clear as day, a square ejection port and a block rear sight. An early, early model. So I drove over to Neil's shop to see what was out on display.

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......"