“In the twenty-first chapter of Exodus at the twenty-eighth verse it is written:  ’If an ox gore a man or a woman, that they die; then the ox shall be surely stoned, and his flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall be quit.  But if the ox were wont to push with his horn in time past, and it hath been testified to his owner, and he hath not kept him in, but that he hath killed a man or a woman; the ox shall be stoned, and his owner also shall be put to death.’

“In the old English case of Smith vs.  Pehal, 2 Strange, 1264, it was said by the court:  ’If a dog has once bit a man, and the owner having notice thereof keeps the dog, and lets him go about or lie at his door, an action will lie against him at the suit of a person who is bit, though it happened by such person’s treading on the dog’s toes; for it was owing to his not hanging the dog on the first notice.  And the safety of the king’s subjects ought not afterwards to be endangered.’  That is sound law; but it is equally good law that ’if a person with full knowledge of the evil propensities of an animal wantonly excites him or voluntarily and unnecessarily puts himself in the way of such an animal he would be adjudged to have brought the injury upon himself, and ought not to be entitled to recover.  In such a case it cannot be said in a legal sense that the keeping of the animal, which is the gravamen of the offense, produced the injury.’

“Now in the case at bar, first there is clearly no evidence that this defendant knew or ever suspected that the dog Andrew was otherwise than of a mild and gentle disposition.  That is, there is no evidence whatever of scienter.  In fact, except in this single instance there is no evidence that Andrew ever bit anybody.  Thus, in the word of Holy Writ the defendant Appleboy should be quit, and in the language of our own courts he must be held harmless.  Secondly, moreover, it appears that the complainant deliberately put himself in the way of the dog Andrew, after full warning.  I move that the jury be directed to return a verdict of not guilty.”

“Motion granted,” nodded Judge Witherspoon, burying his nose in his handkerchief.  “I hold that every dog is entitled to one bite.”

“Gentlemen of the jury,” chanted the clerk:  “How say you?  Do you find the defendant guilty or not guilty?”

“Not guilty,” returned the foreman eagerly, amid audible evidences of satisfaction from the Abyssinian brother, the Baby’s World editor and the others.  Mr. Appleboy clung to Tutt’s hand, overcome by emotion.

“Adjourn court!” ordered the judge.  Then he beckoned to Mr. Appleboy.  “Come up here!” he directed.

Timidly Mr. Appleboy approached the dais.

“Don’t do it again!” remarked His Honor shortly.

“Eh?  Beg pardon, Your Honor, I mean—­”

“I said:  ‘Don’t do it again!’” repeated the judge with a twinkle in his eye.  Then lowering his voice he whispered:  “You see I come from Livornia, and I’ve known Andrew for a long time.”