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Show WAR CROSS TO WOMAN MAYOR Mme. Pellequer, Also Schoolmistress at Quesmy, Is Decorated by General. Paris. Quesmy, a little village north of the Oise, counts July 7, 1917, as the proudest day In its modest annals. On that day a French general, with a guard of war veterans in attendance, came to pin the War Cross on the breast of Mme. Pellequer, the local schoolmistress and mayor, for her gallant gal-lant conduct. Mme. Pellequer is one of those modest mod-est heroines of whom France has reason rea-son to be proud. When the war broke out Mme. Pellequer was teaching school in Quesmy while her husband was similarly employed at the neighboring neigh-boring village of Maucourt. Her husband hus-band left for the front, and she took over his pupils. The Germans occupied Quesmy, and found Mme. Pellequer installed as mayor, maintaining order aad attend-1 ing to everything. She It was who first refused to salute the invaders, who, for once, overlooked this insubordination. insubordina-tion. Then, at last, the French returned in March, and the report they made of the noble work accomplished by Mine. Pellequer has earned her the distinction distinc-tion reserved for the heroes of France. |