"The kids ain't comin' for Thanksgiving tomorrow", Francine yelled out to Darrell, who was blowing leaves off the deck in back of the house. "Angie's got strep, so we're going to be alone".

"Well I can watch the Cowboys without all that commotion", said Darrell.

"I guess I can just sit here and eat this big ham all by myself, then" , she said.

Rural North Texas had already had a cold spell down into the teens, but today it was sunny, the wind was blowing leaves, branches and acorns in every direction. Despite the wind Darrel and Francine sat on the deck eating left over chicken fingers but not talking much. Then Darrel jumped up, looking down the fence row.

"That looks like a beagle dog out there", he said.

"Probably belongs to those people down the road", she said.

Francine went back into the house with the plastic plates and Darrell went on raking leaves. He tried not to notice the beagle who had worked his way up to about fifty feet from the deck, trying to dig under fence. As Francine came back out, the dog squeezed under the barbed wire and ran straight up to Darrell.

"Friendly little thing", he said.

"Take him back down there", she said, "those people never take care of their dogs, must be ten dogs down there."

"I'm going to finish raking", he said.

Two hours went by while Darrell finished the leaves and split some oak firewood. The beagle ran in circles around him, alternately jumping Darrell's leg and running back to the fence to mark the property line. Francine had been watching from the kitchen window, opened it and yelled at Darrell.

"Don't get any ideas about keepin' that dog. You need to put him in the truck and take him back to those people down the road", she said.

"This little boy needs to be fixed", he said.

Another hour went by and nobody showed up looking for the beagle. Darrell put the dog in the front seat of his pickup and drove off down toward the pond. About a half hour later he came back down the drive path, parked the truck and got out carrying the dog. Francine bolted out of the house but Darrell cut in before she could say anything.

"The whole damn trailer burnt down", he said, "those people are gone and there's dogs everywhere. When I tried to put him out he was scared to death and scratched my arm off trying to hide behind the seat. I couldn't leave him, we'll just put him in the shed until tomorrow morning."

Thanksgiving morning the beagle was out marking the fence line when an old minivan came down the drive path and the young couple from down the road got out.

"We heard you was down at our place yesterday with a dog. We came by to see if it was ours. We been staying at the Economy Inn, comin' back ever day to feed the dogs what we can, but we can't afford it no more. That beagle ain't one of ours" , the woman said.

"I'm sorry about your trailer", Francine said, "where are you stayin' now."

The woman looked at her boyfriend who shrugged his shoulders and about two minutes ticked by and no one saying anything until Francine looked over at Darrell.

"Don't just stand there, Darrell", she said, "go set up them bunk beds in the loft. Now you kids come on in here, I've got a ham in the oven. "But don't let him in",pointing to the beagle who seemed calm for the first time in two days and appeared to be smiling, " we only have outside dogs around here."

Happy Thanksgiving!