Chapters 10-13 Summary

Large-eyed, dark-haired eleven-year-old Frankie takes three weeks to inch his way into the basement of Western Biological before he and Doc speak. Frankie lives up the street with his widowed mother and abusive "uncles" ,and is too dim to attend school. Doc gets him to wash, rids him of lice, and clothes him, and lets him try to help by sweeping and grading crayfish, but Frankie cannot get these right. Frankie enjoys watching and listening to Doc's parties. During one, Frankie delivers a glass of beer to a woman guest who thanks him and earns Doc's praise. He decides to help more at the next gathering. When the kitchen is empty, Frankie fills glasses, carries the tray successfully into the next room, but in front of the same woman, his coordination falters. He spills the tray in her lap and flees...