Billy Beene and the Crusaders: The Crusade Begins!

By Ken Clark and Mike Brown

Billy Beene is sick and tired of being SICK N TIRED! It's been tough enough dealing with these annoying bullies, but throw in the recent events with his Dad and........way too much for a young man to handle!!! Give it a rest! How is he supposed to take care of everything on his plate?! What is he supposed to do now?! Where can he turn for help?! Arrrggggggghhhhhhhhh!!!

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Feb 14, 2013
• ISBN: 9781624889707

Ken Clark

Ken Clark, who grew up along the old Shawmut tracks in Olean, New York, is a local historian and a lifelong devotee of the Pittsburg, Shawmut & Northern. He is an avid volunteer at the Pittsburg, Shawmut & Northern Railroad Historical Society in Angelica, New York. He is also the society's webmaster and a regular contributor to the society's newsletter, the Cannonball. Clark has compiled the best photographs from the society's archive in this stunning look at the "Pretty Slow and Noisy."

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KC

CHAPTER #1

BILLY the BIG, FAT CHICKEN

Billy was really getting sick and tired of this scene!!…..hiding out in the bushes on his way home from school. Today it was the McGinty’s Dog that had him totally freaked out. He had thought he spotted the mangy mutt about a block back, trying to sneak up on him for the surprise attack. Billy was pretty sure it was stalking him, following him all the way home (or was it just his imagination?). Yesterday he was in the same spot. Afraid he heard the Grenville gang. It seemed like he was always scared these days. One Big, Fat Chicken!!!….afraid of his shadow! (As his older brother would say). It wasn’t good for a kid his age to always be looking over his shoulder. Not a fun way to live! A young man (sounds better than boy) should be livin’ full speed ahead!

Charge! Strap on the Gear! Fire! Head’s up! Can’t stop me now!!!

Oh no, not this guy! Billy was so sick and tired of being a Big, Fat Chicken! He was sick and tired of being SICK N TIRED!!!

Oh, you’re a tough guy now Billy Beene! Pretty tough sitting here in the bushes!!! Billy mumbled to himself as he sat hunched down in his usual hiding spot.

"Ok Billy, enough talking to yourself. It’s one thing to be a chicken, but let’s not add CRAZY to the mix!"

When he was 100% certain the McGinty’s dog was not waiting to attack or anyone ready to pounce and beat on him, he would embark on the "walk of shame" to his house. This usually meant walking home from school, head down, kicking an empty pop can, deep in thought. Billy was a small, scrawny kid…without many friends. His Mom always called him shy when she was talking to others. He hated that description! Why did she feel like she had to tell EVERYONE! Sometimes he just preferred to be alone. No one to bug him or ask him dumb questions about his Dad. Didn’t she understand?! Yea, he was a bit of a loner…..which made him a prime target for bullies. There were always plenty of those waiting to pounce on the small, weak, and forgotten prey. Billy was learning that it was sometimes best to keep his head down and his mouth shut…if you wanted to stay clear of trouble or pain. But it never felt right. It didn’t make anything better. Nothing improved. It was just a matter of luck….and smarts to be in the right place at the right time. If you got caught in the wrong spot, they’d make you pay anyway, even if you kept it zipped. They were usually the Grenville twins and their gang of mean and nasty (and usually smelly….but nobody dared to tell them!) followers. Bobbie and Robbie Grenville moved into town about two years ago. They seemed alright at first, but after they got comfortable and built their small army of thugs, all you know what broke loose. They took it upon themselves to make everyone else’s lives around them miserable. They seemed to get some kind of sick enjoyment out of it. Makin little kids eat dirt!…..atomic wedgies to unsuspecting victims….nailing kids in the arms and legs to bring on painful Charlie horses (for any of us that have had one….not funny!)…..inflicting pain and terror every chance they got!!! They really ticked Billy off!!!….but what was he supposed to do about it?! He was just one little kid trying to find his way in this crazy mixed up world. Maybe someday…..

Thankfully, Billy had one thing going for him…..he had no problem dreaming. This gift got him through many struggles and lonely days. His head was always in the clouds. Sometimes it caused him to walk into things like sign posts he didn’t see (Boy, was that embarrassing…and painful!). His teachers would always complain and beg him to pay attention. They didn’t understand. Dreaming is what kept him going. It was kind of like survival mode for him. Things get bad or he’s not happy…..and Billy could always count on his dreams. He believed life was full of opportunities, and that he was in store for big things some day! He couldn’t explain it. The friends he had would think he was nuts! He just knew it…..he could