}
I wondered, in petto, whether I should meet any illustrious convicts
at Miss Rowley's party the next evening; but remembering to have
heard her called an exclusive, it did not seem very probable.
{in petto = silently, to oneself (Latin)}
After running her eye over the list again, Miss Rowley made another
inquiry.
"Mr. Howard, could you get me something from an American
Colonel?"
I assured the lady we had colonels of all sorts, and begged to know
what particular variety she had placed on her catalogue--was it an
officer of the regular service, or one of no service at all?
"Oh, the last, certainly--officers who have seen service are so
commonplace!"
My own pen was immediately placed at Miss Rowley's disposal, as
my sword would have been, had I owned one. As I had been called
colonel a hundred times without having commanded a regiment once,
my own name was as good as any other on the present occasion.
"You are very obliging. Since you are so good, may I also trouble you
to procure me a line from a very remarkable personage of your
country--a very distinguished man--he has been President, or
Speaker of the Senate, or something of that sort."
To which of our head men did Miss Rowley allude?
"He is called Uncle Sam, I believe."
{Uncle Sam = "Uncle Sam" became a popular personification of the
United States during the War of 1812, replacing Brother Jonathan,
and was often used in contradistinction to the British "John Bull"}
This was not so easy a task, for though we have thousands of
colonels, there is but one Uncle Sam in the world.
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