Cannery Row

Chapter XXVIII

Sooner or later Frankie was bound to hear about the party. For Frankie drifted about like a small cloud. He was always on the edge of groups. No one noticed him or paid any attention to him. You couldn’t tell whether he was listening or not. But Frankie did hear about the party and he heard about the presents and a feeling of fullness swelled in him and a feeling of sick longing.

In the window of Jacob’s Jewelry Store was the most beautiful thing in the world, It had been there a long time. It was a black onyx clock with a gold face but on top of it was the real beauty. On top was a bronze group — St. George killing the dragon. The dragon was on his back with his claws in the air and in his breast was St. George’s spear. The Saint was in full armor with the visor raised and he rode a fat, big-buttocked horse. With his spear he pinned the dragon to the ground. But the wonderful thing was that he wore a pointed beard and he looked a little like Doc.

Frankie walked to Alvarado Street several times a week to stand in front of the window and look at this beauty. He dreamed about it too, dreamed of running his fingers over the rich, smooth bronze. He had known about it for months when he heard of the party and the presents.

Frankie stood on the sidewalk for an hour before he went inside. “Well?” said Mr. Jacobs. He had given Frankie a visual frisk as he came in and he knew there wasn’t 75 cents on him.

“How much is that?” Frankie asked huskily.

“What?”

“That.”

“You mean the clock? Fifty dollars — with the group seventy-five dollars.”

Frankie walked out without replying. He went down to the beach and crawled under an overturned rowboat and peeked out at the little waves, The bronze beauty was so strong in his head that it seemed to stand out in front of him. And a frantic trapped feeling came over him. He had to get the beauty. His eyes were fierce when he thought of it.

He stayed under the boat all day and at night he emerged and went back to Alvarado Street. While people went to the movies and came out and went to the Golden Poppy, he walked up and down the block. And he didn’t get tired or sleepy, for the beauty burned in him like fire.

At last the people thinned out and gradually disappeared from the streets and the parked cars drove away and the town settled to sleep.

A policeman looked closely at Frankie, “What you doing out?” he asked.

Frankie took to his heels and fled around the corner and hid behind a barrel in the alley. At two-thirty he crept to the door of Jacob’s and tried the knob. It was locked. Frankie went back to the alley and sat behind the barrel and thought. He saw a broken piece of concrete lying beside the barrel and he picked it up.

The policeman reported that he heard the crash and ran to it. Jacob’s window was broken. He saw the prisoner walking rapidly away and chased him. He didn’t know how the boy could run that far and that fast carrying fifty pounds of dock and bronze, but the prisoner nearly got away. If he had not blundered into a blind street he would have got away.

The chief called Doc the next day. “Come on down, will you? I want to talk to you.”

They brought Frankie in very dirty and frowzy. His eyes were red but he held his mouth firm and he even smiled a little welcome when he saw Doc.

“What’s the matter, Frankie?” Doc asked.

“He broke into Jacob’s last night,” the chief said. “Stole some stuff. We got in touch with his mother. She say it’s not her fault because he hangs around your place all the time.”

“Frankie — you shouldn’t have done it,” said Doc. The heavy stone of inevitability was on his heart. “Can’t you parole him to me?” Doc asked.

“I don’t think the judge will do it,” said the chief, “We’ve got a mental report. You know what’s wrong with him?”

“Yes,” said Doc, “I know.”

“And you know what’s likely to happen when he comes into puberty?”

“Yes,” said Doc, “I know,” and the stone weighed terribly on his heart.

“The doctor thinks we better put him away. We couldn’t before, but now he’s got a felony on him, I think we better.”

As Frankie listened the welcome died in his eyes.

“What did he take?” Doc asked.

“A great big clock and a bronze statue.”

“I’ll pay for it.”

“Oh, we got it back. I don’t think the judge will hear of it. It’ll just happen again. You know that.”

“Yes,” said Doc softly, “I know. But maybe he had a reason. Frankie,” he said, “why did you take it?”

Frankie looked a long time at him. “I love you,” he said.

Doc ran out and got in his car and went collecting in the caves below Pt. Lobos.