UP AND DOWN THE BROOKS. 



CHAPTER I. 



DREDGING NOTES. 



" Tush, tush ! fear boys with bugs." 



Taming of the Shrew. 



" You must n't ever let one of those big white 

 dragon-flies come near you," said a little girl 

 to me, impressively ; " for, don't you know, they 

 've got a needle and thread inside every one 

 of them, and, if they catch you, they '11 sew your 

 ears up," and she looked at me with solemn child- 

 ish eyes, evidently believing in the anticipated 

 calamity. 



" Yes," her little companion chimed in, " they '11 

 sew your ears, an' eyes, an' nose, an' mouth up," 

 and, having faithfully warned me, the little ones 

 trotted up the bank and disappeared, leaving me 

 to smile that the ancient prejudice against dragon- 

 flies should find such firm advocates beside a Cali- 

 fornia stream. 



Meantime, from the depths of the brook beside 

 me, my muddy cloth dredger brings up various 



