23_1-I Survived The San Francisco Earthquake 1906

He took a deep breath, pushed aside the front door, and slipped in.
He lit his candle and held it in front of him.
He'd always imagined Fletch and Wilkie's hideout would be like a pirate den. He pictured velvet couches
and fine rugs stolen from mansions on Nob Hill.
But the place was a dump. There were broken chairs and tables piled in one corner and garbage heaped
in the other. The air was cold and damp, and it stunk like trash and rats. He saw two shapes sprawled
across the floor, at the back of the saloon.
Leo crept closer.
It was Fletch and Wilkie, fast asleep.
They didn't even have an old horse blanket to share. They had covered themselves with newspapers.
Amazing, Leo thought. This place was worse than his little room at the boarding-house.
He looked around, hoping that maybe he'd see his gold nugget. There was a dead mouse lying stiffly near
Wilkie's foot. But no gold.
Gathering up every ounce of courage he'd ever had, he put the candle under his chin. He closed his eyes
and thought of Grandpop.
"Give me my gold," he whispered.
And then louder.
"Give me my gold!"
Fletch opened his eyes first.
"What the ..." He jumped up.
CHAPTER 7
Leo's candle gave the room an eerie golden glow. Wilkie stirred for a second, grumbled, and then closed
his eyes again.
Fletch gave him a cruel kick in his side.
"What?" Wilkie said, scrambling to his feet. He quickly fixed his eyes on Leo. "Who's that?"
"Give me my gold," Leo whispered again.
The two boys stared at him. And then Leo saw it, in Wilkie's eyes. A flicker of fear.
"It's that man!" Wilkie said.
"What man?" Fletch rasped.
"Let's get out of here," Wilkie said.
Fletch wavered a little, Leo could see. But he was still looking at Leo with a hard, untrusting expression.