I Survived the San Francisco Earthquake, 1906

The second chapter takes place twenty hours before the events in Chapter 1. Leo is a paperboy, which is someone who sells newspapers on the street (most often in cities). At only 7:00am, “Leo [has] sold almost all of his papers” (5). He smiles to himself, thinking his father would be proud, and pats his pocket, where he keeps a gold nugget with him at all times.

The gold nugget is from his Grandpop, who died before Leo was born but was kept alive through the stories Leo’s Papa would tell him when he was young. When Leo was getting tucked into bed, he would “hold [the gold nugget] tight in his hand as Papa told tales of Grandpop’s adventures” (6), all of them incredible stories of survival and bravery. Papa would tell Leo that he, too, was destined for great adventures like Grandpop.

Now, a few months after his Papa died from fever, Leo is doing all he can to make Papa and Grandpop proud. He is thinking about his Papa as he walks down an alley, when he suddenly finds himself shoved up against a wall, his arms pinned behind him and his nose bloody.

The boy who pushed Leo against the wall is Fletch Sikes, “the most brutal thief in the neighborhood” (9). He is accompanied by the large and intimidating Wilkie Barnes. They are notorious for stealing and are frequently violent toward other kids. They had been sent away to a work farm, but rumors were circling that they’d escaped and are “hiding out in an old abandoned saloon” (10). Now, they are back in town and can harass kids like Leo again.

Leo offers the boys his money, but they are after something else of his instead. He is shocked to hear that they want him to hand over his gold nugget, since he hasn’t told anyone about it except for Morris, a “pest of a kid, who buzzed around Leo like a fly” (11). With fury, he realizes that Morris must have said something, and eventually word got to Fletch and Wilkie. Once again, Leo offers them money, but they demand the gold nugget.

A voice in Leo’s head, Papa’s, tells him to turn over the nugget. Leo, however, refuses. He tries to get away from the bullies but he doesn’t make it far. They lift him in the air, empty his pockets, then throw him back down, leaving him in “a pile of garbage” (13). Though his mouth is bleeding, and his body is sore, the worst pain he feels is the loss of his gold nugget.

Leo passes out after Fletch and Wilkie rob him. He wakes up to the sound of a young boy calling his name. The boy is Morris, who lives in the same boarding house as Leo, and is constantly trying to befriend him. Morris spends a great deal of his time at the library, and “always ha[s] some new fact to share with Leo” (15). Leo knows that Morris is trying to be friendly, but Leo doesn’t want anyone’s friendship, especially someone who annoys him as much as Morris does.

Leo thinks back to the night that he told Morris about his gold. Morris had been sitting outside near their boarding house. At first Leo tried to sneak by, but he soon realized Morris looked upset, and couldn’t walk by without seeing if he was alright. Eventually, Leo got Morris to tell him why he was sad. Morris’s uncle is always away gambling all of their money away, “including the few dimes a day Morris earned at the market” (16). Morris longs to escape to New York City, where his mother’s cousins are teachers, and where he can attend school. When Leo asks him why he doesn’t leave, however, Morris tells him that it isn’t an option because he doesn’t have enough money. To encourage Morris, Leo pulls out his gold nugget and places it in the boy’s hand. He begins to tell him stories about his Grandpop crossing America.

Leo wonders what Morris is doing on the streets now, looking for him. He resents Morris for telling others about his gold, which ultimately led to him getting robbed and beaten up. He hopes that Morris will give up his search, but Morris is stubborn. Even though Leo remains quiet as Morris calls his name, Morris eventually discovers Leo. He vows to avenge his friend, but his confidence falters when Leo questions him about speaking to someone about the gold nugget. Morris confesses that he told one of his friends, which is how Fletch and Wilkie must’ve found out about it. Morris, more determined than ever to make things right, promises that he will help trick Fletch and Wilkie into giving back the gold nugget that night.