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Leo Sells Newspaper
At 7:00 in the morning, eleven-year-old Leo Ross sells newspapers in the busy streets of San Francisco. It is just the same as any other day. Leo has the gold nugget that was given by his father. It was passed down from Leo's grandpop. -
Gold Nugget is Stolen
Leo has his gold nugget when two bullies, Fletch and Wilkie, come along. They demand the gold nugget that they had heard about from Leo's friend, Morris. They push him into the wall, steal the gold nugget and run away. -
Trying to Get the Nugget Back
Leo had been pushed so hard that blood dribbles down from his mouth. He sits down to rest when Morris comes. Leo tells Morris what had happened and Morris says that maybe Leo could trick them into handing back the gold nugget. When he gets home, he thinks of his grandpop who had escaped a bear attack by shaking a snake's rattle. -
Pretending to be a Ghost
Leo has an idea. He thinks that if he pretends to be a ghost at night asking for the gold nugget, Fletch and Wilkie will get scared and hand it back. So, he decides to give it a try. He puts flour on his face to make it look white, like a ghost. Then, he waits until the sun sets. He goes inside and demands the nugget back. They are fooled. But, Morris shows up so that makes them know that the ghost is Leo. That's when the ground begins to shake. An earthquake starts. -
Saving Wilkie
Fletch escapes and runs away. Leo couldn't stand. Morris grabbed his arm and together they escaped to the outside. Wilkie is buried under a pile of bricks. Leo and Morris pull him out. Wilkie decides to help them to get the nugget back and leads them to the place where the nugget is stashed with other loot. -
Morris in Danger
They see Fletch run into an alley with a sack filled with bills and coins and the nugget is inside. Morris follows him and runs ahead of Leo and Wilkie to the alley. Wilkie tells Leo that there is no way out so they should not follow. But Leo knows he has to save Morris. -
Run Through Fire
Leo thinks of what his Grandpop did in the Forest Fire of Sierras. His Grandpop was stuck in a ring of fire made by lightning and escaped successfully. Leo soaks a blanket with water from a horse stable and puts it on him and Wilkie. They hold their breath and run through the fire with the soaked blanket. -
Get the Nugget Back
When they get through the fire, they only find Morris's head. Morris has fallen through a hole. They pull him out and run inside a house. They find Fletch inside. Wilkie is mad at Fletch for leaving him. He drags him outside and leaves him there. Then he gives Leo the nugget back. When they see a lady with crying children, Wilkie gives the flour sack to her. -
At Sacramento Station
They arrive at the Sacramento Station where soldiers hand out food. Thousands of people died but they had survived. They had stayed at the Golden Gate Park for 3 nights and then taken a train to Sacramento. -
Departure to New York
Leo sells his gold nugget to the bank. He buys Wilkie a train ticket to Seattle. Then he and Morris would go to New York City to find Morris' cousins.They hope to survive there.