Two Kids: Willie and Billy, Billy the Kid’s Early Years

Both born in New York City in 1859, William Tweed Bonnifield acquires the nickname Willie the Kid when he emerges from the womb laughing, but William Henry McCarty won’t be christened Billy the Kid until he becomes notorious many years later. The fatherless boys meet in an Indianapolis classroom when Billy hits Willie with a hard-boiled egg and Willie doesn’t snitch. They become bosom buddies, and their mothers, Charlotte and Catherine, bond as two struggling “widows.” Mischief maker Billy proves popular with boys and girls alike. Well-behaved Willie looks for direction, for better or worse, from Billy. After Indianapolis, the close families stay connected in Wichita, Kansas, and Denver, Colorado, before venturing to New Mexico Territory. In Santa Fe Catherine marries would-be gold prospector Bill Antrim; later, in Silver City, Charlotte weds carpenter Fred Schellschmidt. Willie and Billy must deal with growing pains, worrisome mothers, indifferent stepfathers, Wild West hard cases, teachers, lawmen, and a deadly case of consumption. When his mother dies, teenaged Billy is set adrift, commits a minor crime, escapes jail, and runs off to Arizona Territory. Of course, his best pal comes along. But how long can they stick together? The bolder of the two is destined to become the infamous Billy the Kid. But will Willie the Kid follow the same outlaw path or will the boyhood amigos live out different lives in New Mexico? Includes Readers Guide.
ASIN: 1632936356
VSKU: BVV.1632936356.A
Condition: Acceptable
Author/Artist:Gregory J. Lalire
Binding: Perfect
Note: Any images shown are stock photographs and product may differ from what is shown.
Condition Notes: The item is very worn but is perfectly usable. Signs of wear can include aesthetic issues such as scratches, dents, worn and creased covers, folded page corners and minor liquid stains. All pages and the cover are intact, but the dust cover may be missing. Pages may include moderate to heavy amount of notes and highlighting, but the text is not obscured or unreadable. Page edges may have foxing age related spots and browning . May NOT include discs, access code or other supplemental materials.