# The Jury



## Divus (Oct 16, 2012)

*The Jury*
I had gone to the feed bin to make up the horse’s night meal.   I opened the lid and there staring up at me were three pairs of eyes, three pairs of ears, three snouts and three tails.   No, they were  not dinky little gerbils or dormice, they were better known as Rattus Rattus Minimus (or was it Maximus?).   They had been caught 'in flagrante delecto’, namely knicking the horse’s tea.   Undoubtedly they were ‘Guilty as charged‘.    What to do?      Leave three of these little devils for a week and there would be one hundred annd three in very short time.   But I myself did not fancy giving them a one way ticket for they have sharp teeth. be they ever so little.    I gave the matter some thought and came to the idea of a jury made up of one Bull Mastiff, called Libby; one Rottweiler: Blunderbuss and a Cairn Terrier named Samson.  Sentence would be passed in democratic fashion.   The three members of the jury were summonsed to sit around the dustbin which by now I had  upended onto the concrete.

A Bull mastiff is a formidable dog, over twice the size of a pit bull terrier   However Libby was a character full dog - regardless of her breeding and her unquestioned status as the matriach of the family‘s dogs.  For such a big animal, she was very agile.    Blunderbuss was a typical Rottweiler in build but he was not the sharpest knife in the drawer.   A superb guard dog but he did not suffer fools gladly.       Samson was the predator of the family.   A Cairn Terrier is a feisty little Scot, bred for chasing foxes out of their burrows.     Sam had proved his hunting prowess on a number of occasions.

I eventually got the dogs to lay down calmly facing the dustbin.   Libby already knew something was up and she was sniffing around the bin.   Blunderbuss was a bit perplexed.   Just why was he being asked to sit in a circle?     Sam knew something special was going on but he was not fussed.   In any case he, being the smallest and the quickest was favoured to win more than his fair share of any prey.   

I called out, “Are we ready?” and  “one, two, three”.   I lifted the dustbin to see the three furry devils sitting in the middle of a pile of horse feed.   So did Libby.    She made a lunge and one of the snout nosed  little critters wound up in her mouth.    The other two demons rushed off towards the garden wall, with Libby in hot pursuit.   Oh, she could move fast in a straight line when she wanted to.    Samson had come alive when he had realized what was going on but he was a bit slow off the mark.  Meanwhile Blunderbuss sat there, looking at the pile of horse nuts, wondering whether to snatch a mouthful of feed whilst the going was good.    A bird in the hand and all that.

The second whiskered creature took the wrong path and the next thing it knew, was that it was pinned down under the hairy claw of a Bullie.    Sam in the interim, had roared off after the other escapee.      Now Libby faced a dilema.  She was still holding one furry mini-monster in her mouth and now she had another under her paw, so she had two doomed creatures to take care of.  She lay down and once comfortable lifted her paw to allow the crushed rodent  to move for about 6 inches. Then 'whop! down came the paw again.    The poor little chap, the little monster which could spread rabies and all sorts of nasties, really had no chance.     At the same time, the other rodey was enjoying a warm if slimy bath in Libby‘s mouth.    Bull mastiffs salivate salaciously.

Meanwhile Sam had sneaked  back.  He had lost his quarry in the bushes but he knew not to interfere with Mother Libby.     She was, after all, the Queen of all she surveyed.    One did no get on the wrong side of her, that was for sure.    Eventually the poor little soul under the paw stopped squirming.  Finally Libby lifted her paw to take  a closer look at what she had caught.   The two eared, snout nosed, long tailed furry thing lay there as if asleep.   She sniffed it, then pushed it about with her nose, but still it would  not move.   She gave it a lick to make sure.    Her quarry had caught the last bus.    The crushing power in the stamping of a Bullie’s paw is sufficient to squeeze any orange dry.    It was now time to check her other captive which she gently spat out onto the concrete.   The dollop did not move even when Libby licked it.  Not that it needed licking for it was already soaking wet.      A Bullie can dribble at an audition for a part in an Alien film.     But to be fair to her, maybe Libby was thinking that she could lick the creature better.     After all, she did have a motherly instinct.

So there, laying peacefully at rest on the cold concrete, were two of the little furry devils.  Neither of them had gotten very far from the feed bin.   However, the third little furry devil had done a bunk; and  was by now making eyes at another of his kind behind some shed.   One is never more than ten feet from a rat - so it is said.   As for Blunderbuss, well, bored, he had already wandered off.     Rotties are not bred for hunting.   Samson had come back and sniffed at the horse feed,  just in case there was another little creature hiding therein.   Libby meanwhile had sloped off for a snooze.   She had proved her point.    She was the mistress of the house.     No blood had been spilt.     Peace again reigned.       

Justice had been done.  

Divus


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## IanMGSmith (Oct 16, 2012)

Hi Divus,

Delightful, I so enjoyed this.

Just one humble suggestion: _regardless of her breeding and _her unquestioned status as _the supreme matriach of the family‘s dogs

_So glad I have this opportunity of saying "hi" to you after rather a long absence. Still trying to re-discover my "mojo" ...and the time to write. LOL

Hope you are keeping well Divus,

Ian


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## Divus (Oct 17, 2012)

Ian, welcome back.  Thanks for the comment - of course you are correct.  The copy has been amended.

After the need to put my horse and my two pet dogs to sleep over the space of a few months only, I am having to scratch around for a subject to write on.
Sitting at my feet now are two 5yo terriers who have been rescued from a puppy farm.  They bring a smile into my life and I daresay there will be forthcoming  yet more doggie stories to read.   

Dv


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## garza (Oct 18, 2012)

Divus - A delightful story.     Blunderbuss sounds a typical Rottweiler in brain power as well as build. At least, that's been my experience with Rottweillers. I'm fond of them because of their size - I'm fond of all big dogs - but the ones I've known would never win any prize for sharp thinking. Anyroad, a great story. Thank you.


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## Cran (Oct 20, 2012)

Another enjoyable anecdote, *Divus*. 

I'll come back with a full crit and proof soon - it's more than a simple comment's worth.


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## Cran (Oct 21, 2012)

_I've just put in the par breaks. _

*The Jury*

I had gone to the feed bin to make up the horse’s night meal. I opened the lid and there staring up at me were three pairs of eyes, three pairs of ears, three snouts and three tails[1] No, they were not dinky little gerbils or dormice, they were better known as Rattus Rattus Minimus (or was it Maximus?). They had been caught [in ‘flagrante delecto’][2], namely knicking the horse’s tea.

Undoubtedly they were ‘Guilty as charged’. What to do? Leave three of these little devils for a week and there would be [103][3] in very short time. But I myself[4] did not fancy giving them a one way ticket for they have sharp teeth.[5] be they ever so little.

I gave the matter some thought and came to the idea of a jury made up of one Bull Mastiff, called Libby; one Rottweiler:[6] Blunderbuss and a Cairn Terrier named Samson. Sentence would be passed in democratic fashion. The three members of the jury were summonsed[7] to sit around the dustbin which by now I had upended onto the concrete.



[1] Period

[2] (italics) in flagrante* delicto* – ‘in’ is part of the phrase

[3] better if you spell it out; one hundred and three

[4] common tautology, not justified in this piece

[5] Comma

[6] Comma – never follow a semi-colon with a colon

[7] Summoned – a summons is a piece of paper; to be summonsed means to be served with a legal document

................

A Bull mastiff is a formidable dog, over twice the size of a pit bull terrier[1] However[2] Libby was a character [full dog -][3] regardless of her breeding and her unquestioned status as the supreme matriach[4] of the family‘s dogs. For such a big animal, she was very agile. Blunderbuss was a typical Rottweiler in build but [a bit thick in the head.][5] He was not the sharpest knife in the drawer. A superb guard dog, he did not suffer fools gladly [but he was no Einstein].[6] Samson was the predator in[7] the family. A Cairn terrier[8] is a feisty little Scot, bred for chasing foxes out of their burrows. Sam had proved his hunting prowess on a number of occasions.

I eventually got the dogs to lay down calmly facing the dustbin. Libby already knew something was up and she was sniffing around the bin. Blunderbuss was a bit perplexed. Just why was he being asked to sit in a circle? Sam knew something special was going on but he was not fussed. In any case he, being the smallest and the quickest was favoured to win more than his fair share of any prey.

I called out:[9] “Are we ready?” and “one, two, three”. Quickly[10] I lifted the dustbin to see the three furry devils sitting in the middle of a pile of horse feed. So did Libby. Instantly[11] she made a lunge and one of the snout nosed little critters wound up in her mouth – [a bit like Moby Dick had found himself inside the whale.][12]

[1] Period

[2] Comma

[3] ‘was a character’ will do; and comma  

[4] *matriarch* – arch mother

[5] Choose between this phrase and the next one; twice is a tautology

[6] That makes three.

[7] ‘in’, or ‘of’?

[8] breed name - capped

[9] Comma

[10] Comma, but I’d drop Quickly altogether

[11] Comma – if you’re going to begin sentences with adverbs, which slows the pace despite the fast words, then use commas

[12] Moby Dick was a whale, and was only inside a whale during gestation. Ahab was not swallowed by Moby Dick, either, but dragged to the depths. Jonah was swallowed by a whale until upchucked on the coast of Nineveh.

...............

The other two demons rushed off towards the garden wall, with Libby, (yes, the Bullie)[1], in hot pursuit. Oh, she could move fast in a straight line when she wanted to. Samson had come alive when he had realized what was going on but he was a bit slow off the mark. Blunderbuss sat there, looking at the pile of horse nuts, wondering whether to snatch a mouthful of feed,[2] whilst the going was good. A bird in the hand and all that.

The second whiskered creature took the wrong path and the next thing [he (or was it she?)[3] knew, was that he or was it: she,] was pinned down under the hairy claw of a Bullie,[4] Sam, in the interim, had roared off after the other escapee.

Now Libby faced a dilema:[5] she was still holding one furry mini-monster in her mouth [, and now she][6] had another under her paw, so she had two doomed creatures to take care of. She lay down and once comfortable lifted her paw to allow the crushed rodent to move for about 6 inches. Then [whop – down][7] came the paw again. The poor little chap, the little monster which could spread rabies and all sorts of nasties, really had no chance. At the same time, the other rodey was enjoying a warm if slimy bath in Libby‘s mouth. Bull mastiffs salivate salaciously.


[1] Why the aside brackets, who are you whispering to?

[2] Lose the comma

[3] if you’re unsure of the rat’s gender, ‘it’ is best, and does away with the mess

[4] Period

[5] *dilemma*, and period

[6] replace all of that with ‘and’

[7] ‘whop! Down …’; if you’re adding sound effects, make them effective

................

Meanwhile Sam had sneaked back. He had lost his quarry in the bushes but he knew not to interfere with Mother Libby. She was the Queen of all she surveyed..[1] One did no get on the wrong side of her,[2] that was for sure. Eventually[3] the poor little soul under the paw stopped squirming[4] and finally[5] Libby lifted her paw to take a closer look at what she had caught. The two eared, snout nosed, long tailed furry thing lay there as if asleep.

She sniffed it, then pushed it about with her nose, but still it would not move. She gave it a lick to make sure. Obviously[6] her quarry had caught the last bus. The crushing power in the stamping of a Bullie’s paw is sufficient to squeeze any orange dry. It was now time to check her other captive which she gently spat out onto the concrete. The dollop did not move -[7] even when Libby licked it,[8] not that it needed licking for it was already soaking wet. A Bullie can dribble at an audition for a part in an Alien film. But to be fair to her, maybe Libby was thinking that she could lick the creature better. After all, she did have a motherly instinct.

So there[9] laying peacefully at rest on the cold concrete[10] were two of the little furry devils. Neither of them had gotten very far from the feed bin. However[11] the third little furry devil had done a bunk[12] and was by now making eyes at another of his kind behind some shed or somewhere. One is never more than 10 feet from a rat -[13] so it is said.

[1] Just one period

[2] semi-colon

[3] Comma

[4] Comma

[5] Comma

[6] Comma

[7] Comma, or nothing at all

[8] Period

[9] Comma

[10] Comma

[11] Comma

[12] Comma

[13] semi-colon

..........

As for Blunderbuss, well, bored, he had already wandered off. Rotties are not bred for hunting. Samson had come back and sniffed at the horse feed, just in case there was another little creature hiding therein. Libby meanwhile had sloped off for a snooze. She had proved her point. She was the mistress of the house. No blood had been spilt. Peace again reigned.

Justice had been done. 

.........


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## Divus (Oct 21, 2012)

Cran, WOW, I have printed it off  - so as to better sit and study.

Dv


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## Divus (Oct 21, 2012)

Dear Cran.  As no doubt you will have noticed, I have corrected the piece in accordance with your criticisms.  Thank you for taking the time to critique my article.
It was an interesting exercise to follow through.

I have no excuse for my grammatical mistakes.  They are as you have pointed out. 

The sad fact is that I have recently lost the services of my regular editor and I, sadly, no longer have the eyes to read back my own writings more than twice.   Unless my friend remarries I am lost.     Incidentally, that very loss of service is worthy of an article by itself.

Regards.
Dv


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## Cran (Oct 21, 2012)

Divus said:


> The sad fact is that I have recently lost the services of my regular editor and I, sadly, no longer have the eyes to read back my own writings more than twice.   Unless my friend remarries I am lost.     Incidentally, that very loss of service is worthy of an article by itself.


It is indeed; certainly an intriguing premise. 

I look forward to the tale.


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## ppsage (Oct 21, 2012)

Just as a side note, in-post anchors and links do not seem to be implemented at WF although I think bb code has the capability. I have often lamented this. It's refreshing, Divus, to find someone who includes attention to fulsome narrative in their non-fiction piece. pp


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## Divus (Oct 22, 2012)

PP, I wish you would explain your post about bb etc.     All that technical jargon is incomprehensible to us old fogeys.

Dv


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## ppsage (Oct 22, 2012)

Not completely incomprehensible, apparently, to Cran, but his footnote links, which are an idea I've frequently wanted to use, just open new instances of the forum top page. For me, at least. I believe at WF links can only go outside the post and always open a new window. I have participated at other forums using bbcode where links could be used, inside a single post, so I think the capability exists, but is not implemented here. Probably there are good reasons, for either course, though I've never heard them enunciated. pp


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## Cran (Oct 22, 2012)

I do it the easy way, *ppsage*, by working in MS Word (using either _Insert footnote_ or _Insert comment_). 
Pasting the result in sections into the dialog (Reply) box produces the format you see above. 
If you don't do it in sections, the whole lot ends up as _endnotes_ - not good for a long piece.


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