Right from the first couple of paragraphs of the story, the reader knows this isn't going to end well. Because of the past-tense language found therein, along with the melancholy descriptions of trees, graveyard flowers, and a grindstone that marks where a bleeding tree once stood, the mood is filled with death and what once was. Specific clues that are in the past tense, and add to the ending of the story, include the narrator, Brother, saying things such as "Doodle was just about the craziest brother a boy ever had." If Brother is narrating the story and speaking about his brother in the past tense, then Doodle must be gone. Another one of Brother's comments that foreshadows the end of the story is attached to what the doctor said:
"The doctor had said that he mustn't get too excited, too hot, too cold, or too tired and that he must always be...
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treated gently. A long list of don'ts went with him, all of which I ignored once we got out of the house."
When Brother says a "list of don'ts went with him," this suggests that this list doesn't apply in the present tense from which the story is being told; otherwise, he would have used the word "go" rather than "went."
The next example of a past-tense clue that has to do with the ending is the following:
"It's strange that all this is still so clear to me, now that that summer has long since fled and time has had its way."
This sentence shows that Brother is looking back on a time is gone because it is memorable for the loss he and his family experienced.
The final clue about the tombstone is grim, but also applies the use of a wonderful simile that relates to Doodle's full name and his life.
"They named him William Armstrong, which was like tying a big tail on a small kite. Such a name sounds good only on a tombstone."
This quote uses a profound simile linked with a strong and gloomy image to make its gloomy point. First, the length of Doodle's real name seems ironic because Brother doesn't think his little brother will ever live up to a long name like that. Not only that, but the length of his life might not be as long, either. Furthermore, tying a big tail onto a small kite does not help the kite fly; rather, it limits its flight. This image can be directly linked to Doodle's long name being attached to a short life. Based on these symbols and images, Brother determines that Doodle's name is destined only to grace the stone of a grave--and that is exactly what happens in the end of the story.