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The letter reads in full: 

“Dear Bill   

Thank you for the watercolors, which arrived in good order. They are mighty handsome and we will duly frame and hang them in a favored place. Anne is especially partial to the one with the road and the leaves and shadows. 

We have been out of town for the past couple of weeks, drove up to Washington and stayed with my parents a week, went to the National Gallery and other places of interest. The N.G. has the best collection of French Impressionist paintings a person wold be likely to see in one place and we spent about five hours grokking over them.

We visited the Ailors on the way back down, spent the week-end and were feted royally. I think we ate about two bushels of oysters. They are both about the same, still talking about moving, but I don’t think they will. We came on down the Outer Banks of North Carolina, Hatteras and Ocracoke, slept on the beach in big down sleeping bags, driftwood fire, enormous stars, and the sea pounding at our feet. A very groovy scene. The next night we spent in jail. Got stopped for speeding in Goldsboro N. C. and didn’t have enough money to pay the fine. So we stayed the night while waiting for Western Union to open to get some bread.  They didn’t really lock us up, but gave us a cell together to lie down and get some sleep. Annie says: “What next?”                                                                                               

Incidentally, saw your portraits of the Ailor kids on the wall at their house and they are first class. 

Glad that you got the book and that you liked it. John called last night, has scored a Bankamericard so you may be seeing him out that way soon. He is still in court with various indictments. Gary is about the same. Got to run now, folks.

Best to the both / of ye’ns / Charlie”.                                                                                                                        

An early letter, just one of two I have ever seen signed by McCarthy with his true name “Charlie” already changed to Cormac, to be in private hand. The other letter precedes this, having been written in October. 

Among the letter points of interest there is the account of a McCarthys trip ended in jail and the life on the edge of some friends like John Sheddan and Gary Goodman who had always a great fascination upon the writer.

“Glad that you got the book and that you liked it”, refers to a copy of Outer Dark, published less than two months earlier, which was included by McCarthy in the previous letter..

For the love for the North Carolina Outer Bank see the letter to Reverend Gerald Drum, written in 1979. 

As for the Ailors, see the letter to Kidwell written in October.

RECIPIENT: Bill Kidwell, longtime friend of McCarthy. He was also a clever painter. 

COLLECTING TOPICS:  Heritage auctions describes letters signed “Charlie” as extremely rare. Actually, this is one of only two in private hands I am aware of.