Clinton by Walter Aimwell

March had come-the month which is usually considered the beginning / of spring, though in the part of the country where Clinton resided / it seemed more like the last month of winter. The winter school had / closed, and as it was too early to commence labors on the farm, the / scholars were enjoying a long holiday. There was little for Clinton / to do, at home, and even his father was at leisure much of the time, / having chopped and hauled his year's supply of wood, cleaned and / repaired his tools, and done such other jobs as are usually deferred / to the winter season. The deportment of Clinton, since his frank / confession of the errors into which Jerry had led him, had been / unexceptionable, both at home and at school. He seemed like himself / again. His parents began to feel sorry that they had deprived him of / his promised journey to Boston, although he had never once spoken of / the matter from the day they announced their intention. In talking / over the subject one evening after the children had gone to bed, they / concluded to make up for Clinton's disappointment, in part at least, by / treating him to an excursion of another kind. The next morning, at the / breakfast table, Mr. Davenport introduced the matter by saying: -

"Clinton, you've behaved pretty well, for some time past, and as I / believe in rewards as well as punishments, I am going to propose to / treat you to a little excursion, next week. Where should you prefer / to go-to Portland, or to Bangor, or back into the forests, among the / loggers? As the sleighing is now excellent, and bids fair to remain so / for a week or two longer, we will take Fanny-or rather she shall take / us; and you shall decide to which of these points we shall steer."