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His ears pressed back against his head. His tongue stuck out. He kicked up dirt as he sprinted past me, then turned the corner and was out of sight. But in a moment he reappeared around the far corner.
    â€œDo it, BeauBeau. Go for the Slim Jim gold!” I shouted.
    He must have gotten a little dizzy from circling the house because he began to stumble as he adjusted his balance. Then he lost his equilibrium altogether and darted full speed off to one side and plunged head-first into his double-sized hole. I heard an awful snap, and a yelp, and that was all.
    I threw down my shovel and ran over to him. His head was bent back against his shoulder. “BeauBeau!” I hollered, and grabbed him under his belly and lifted him out. I laid him out on his side and straightened out his head. Somehow I knew he was dead, but I couldn’t believe it. Maybe he was just unconscious.
    I ran into the house and pounded on Betsy’s closeddoor. “BeauBeau fell into a hole and I think he broke his neck,” I blurted out all in one breath.
    â€œHe’s French,” she replied from the other side. “They faint if they have an ingrown toenail. Just tell him the Germans are invading and he’ll jump up and start running.”
    â€œHe’s not acting,” I cried. “He busted his neck. I heard it snap.”
    Suddenly she whipped her door open real fast and as I yelled, “Look out,” it flew off its hinges and crashed to the floor.
    â€œYou are worse than stupid,” she said angrily and punched me in the chest, knocking the wind out of me. “You’re criminal.”
    She ran down the hall and out the back door.
    I fought to catch my breath as I crawled down to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of ammonia from under the sink. I unscrewed the cap and took a deep whiff and my breath came roaring right back. Good stuff, I thought. If he was just unconscious, then this would bring him around.
    When I caught up to Betsy she was kneeling by BeauBeau’s side with her ear pressed against his chest. Pete was leaning over her and Dad was coming around the corner. After a minute Betsy said, “No heartbeat.” She held his neck just under his jaw. “No pulse. We better get him to the vet.”
    I threw the ammonia to one side and the plastic bottle hit Pete in the head. He fell in the hole. I thought he might have broken his neck but I didn’t have time to do anything about it. BeauBeau was my main concern.
    Betsy grabbed BeauBeau’s chest and I grabbed his rear, and we carried him to the car.
    â€œDon’t put him on the seat,” Dad hollered. “Put him over the front fender, like a deer. When you croak your bladder lets loose.”
    â€œThanks for the real-life detail,” Betsy snapped. “But we’re trying to save a life here.”
    We lifted BeauBeau into the trunk. I climbed in and curled up next to him, then quickly ducked as Betsy slammed down the top.
    Dad seemed to hit every bump, and I kept saying, “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of you. If you live, you can have a Slim Jim as long as the Alaska pipeline.” I patted him on the neck, but then jerked my hand back. “Sorry,” I said.
    After Dad parked he unlocked the trunk. I hopped out and we hustled BeauBeau into the pet emergency room and laid him out on a metal table.
    â€œHe’s definitely dead,” the vet declared. He swung BeauBeau’s head back and forth as if it were a rag doll’s. “Broken neck.”
    Betsy sighed dramatically. “It’s always the brilliant ones that die young,” she said, then pointed to me. “That’s why you’ll live forever.”
    I turned away from her because I could feel the tears well up in my eyes, and I wasn’t ready to fight back. I put a hand on BeauBeau’s side. “Sorry, buddy,” I said. “I won’t forget you. I promise. You were an inspiration to