[A little helpful context (from Wikipedia): “Tianjin is a major port city in northeastern China. Following the 1858 Treaties of Tianjin, several Western nations established concessions in Tianjin.”]
When Mrs. Hoover was in Tientsin with her husband, she kept a cow in order to supply her baby with milk. One day, unfortunately, the cow disappeared, and its little calf was even more disconsolate that Mrs. Hoover was. One of the Chinese lads working for her, however, had a suggestion for locating the lost animal. Why not take the “cow’s pup,” as he called the calf, and walk him through the settlement? Then, when mother and child smelled each other, they would start mooing and there would be a family reunion.
Mrs. Hoover liked the idea; so one quiet night, she and some of her friends started on their search with the “cow’s pup” in tow. Since they suspected German soldiers, they headed first for the stockade where the German cavalry was encamped. To their delight, as soon as they reached the stockade the “cow’s pup” began making noises and there was an appropriate response from within the stockade.
Mrs. Hoover then approached the German sentry, explained the problem in her best German, and requested the return of her cow. For a minute or two, the sentry didn’t seem to understand her request. Then it dawned on him; she wanted to reunite the calf outside with the cow inside. No sooner said than done.
He grabbed the calf by the halter, pulled him inside the stockade, closed the door firmly behind him, and shouted: “Danke schön!” [Thank you very much]
Mrs. Hoover loved telling the story.
Source:
Boller, Paul F. "Lou Henry Hoover." Presidential Wives. New York: Oxford UP, 1988. 281-82. Print.
Original Source Listed:
Frederick L. Collings, “Mrs. Hoover in the White House,” Woman’s Home Companion, 55 (April 1928): 64.
Further Reading:
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