We agreed upon one thing, however--that the young girl with the party was very beautiful, and very tastefully dressed.

But we disagreed as to her age.

I said she was eighteen, Harris said she was twenty.

The dispute between us waxed warm, and I finally said, with a pretense of being in earnest: "Well, there is one way to settle the matter--I will go and ask her." Harris said, sarcastically, "Certainly, that is the thing to do.

All you need to do is to use the common formula over here: go and say, 'I'm an American!' Of course she will be glad to see you." Then he hinted that perhaps there was no great danger of my venturing to speak to her.
I said, "I was only talking--I didn't intend to approach her, but I see that you do not know what an intrepid person I am.