As I have been watching the comments and questions about pen hooking, I have seen no one else mention the "pen hookers" at the stockyards. (Thus my spelling PEN, as cattle in a pen). If you have never pulled up to a stockyard with some livestock on a truck and had several "pen hookers", jumping on your truck, making offers on what you had, asking what you would take, anything to close the deal before you unloaded and consigned your livestock to the market for sale. It was quite a show and a little scary for a kid from time to time as these guys would get quite loud trying to be the one that bought your stock..
All this reminds me of a story about one of these "pen hookers". Names of all parties will be withheld to protect the guilty. One of the local "pen hookers" was also a real estate and auctioneer with a booming business..
On the day in question a local farmer pulled up at the stock yard, driving his small flat bed truck, with no racks or side boards, as was very common in those days. Laying in the middle of the truck bed was a calf, that looked to weigh around 300 pounds, and was securely tied down to keep him from jumping off the truck. This was not uncommon in the late 1950's or early 60's.
The "hookers" swarmed the truck making their offers, all of which were about one-half the value of a calf of that size in that day and time. The farmer soon made a deal with the above mentioned gentleman. The "pen hooker" paid the farmer, in cash, and proceeds to tell him to back up to a certain gate, so that they could unload the calf into the stockyard. When the ropes were removed it was discovered that the calf was dead.
Well the "pen hooker" approached the farmer demanding his money back as the farmer knew the calf was dead. The farmer had only one comment: Mr. Xxxxxxx do you remember selling me a refrigerator (that was said to work by you), at auction a few weeks back that did not work? Your answer to me was "you bought it "as is", well you bought the calf "AS IS". I have now got my money back. Thank You."