Gas pedal question

My 87 must be missing something at the top of the pedal assembly where the cable fits in a fork like slot, its been wired so the cable cant be slipped up and out of the groove? whats missing here or is the cable not supposed to come out?

The cable is supposed to come out, but it's possible that a previous owner had problems with the bell crank or other linkages at the engine end, which prevented the cable from springing back, so this could be a way to keep it from falling out when the cable goes slack.