A very enjoyable afternoon was spent at a county park next to a small lake. Since it was a Tuesday they had the park to themselves. Lad and Lady ran up and down the small sandy beach, barking as Midas swam out to retrieve the sticks that Steve threw into the water. The little dogs seemed not to want to get wet.
“Go on, you whimps,” Dan chided in a joking manner. “The water isn’t gonna burn you.”
Dan waded out into the lake a foot or so from shore and called to Lad and Lady. But even their master’s encouragement couldn’t convince the beagle mutts to get more than their paws into the shallows.
Later, men and dogs lay stretched out on a blanket in the sun. The dogs’ strenuous exercise had left them ready for a deep snooze. Dan and Steve lay facing each other.
“This is nice,” Steve said, r
