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Baby Was Born
When "Brother" was six his baby brother was born. He was in a poor health condition and they thought that he wouldn't survive. It was so bad that they had a small coffin made for him. As to not get attatched to the new baby, they decided not to name him. -
Given A Name
The baby was doing fine and hadn't passed away so they figured they would give him a name. His name would be William Armstrong, which "Brother" felt was "like tying a big tail to a small kite" (too formal) -
Change of Pace
When "Brother" believed that what his mother said was true about his brother not being "all there" he made plans to get rid of him. He would smother him with a pillow or do other things, but "Brother" didn't want to have a sibling who wasn't there. After discovering that his brother was there and could crawl he decided to rename him Doodle after the doodlebug his brother reminded him of. -
Pack Mule
Around the time Doodle was crawling, the boys father made a wagon/go-cart for Doodle to ride around in. Anytime "Brother" was going out somewhere Doodle insisted that he take him along. So did his parents. Whenever Doodle cried for "Brother" to take him along his parents would call from around the house and order him to take Doodle with him. -
Walk This Way
Tired of the idea that "Brother" hald to haul Doodle evverywhere, he took it upon himself to teach him how to walk. At first, Doodle doubted his brothers theory because people had been telling him all his life that he wasn't going to walk. "Brother" took Doodle down to Old Woman Swamp and they begun. First it was standing (which Doodle couldn't do) and then it was walking. Once Doodle could finally handle the pressure they showed their parents and they were shocked. "Brother" had done it. -
Scarlet Ibis Down
One morning Doodle heard a croaking noise coming from the backyard. As he ran out, he saw something at the top of the bleeding tree. When his family caught up to him, he pondered on what it was. "Brother" ran inside the house to get the bird book but when he came back he was too late. The bird had fallen to the ground and was now limp and breathless on the ground. They found it in the book as a Scarlet Ibis, a rare bird from tropical regions spreading from Florida to South America. -
Horsehead Landing
After finding the bird and finishing breakfast, the boys headed towards Horsehead Landing where "Brother" was determined to teach Doodle more things before school started up. They floated down the river because Doodle had been feeling feverish and was too tired to swim. They floated for a while, not a word between them, and finally "Brother" put the oars in place and demanded that Doodle row despite his condition. -
A Storm Approaching
As Doodle was rowing back to the landing, "Brother could sense the storm coming. It started to rain so they headed back to their house. Doodle was abviously scared and didn't know what to do so he trailed closely behind his brother. The faster "Brother" walked the faster Doodle walked. This continued until "Brother" was running, but Doodle couldn't. Doodle fell behind as his brother kept running, "Brother" noticed Doodle wasn't behind him but kept running until he could no longer hear him. -
A Helpless Boy
When "Brother" could no longer hear Doodle he began to worry. As he ran back the rain continued but the wind died down. He searched all over for Doodle until he saw him beside a bush with his head hanging in his arms. "Brother" called out his name but there was no response. When he finally got over there he lifted Doodle's head only to find blood running out of his mouth and his body limp. "Brother" cried out as he found his brother but the rain masked his tears and pain.
