Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 21.pdf/174

 Whimsical Wills

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property to a friend and his descendants large sums to charities, and finally oc forever, providing that on each recurring curred these words: "To my best be loved nephew I bequeath ten thousand Good Friday a bun should be baked which he will find in a package in my specially and added to the store. Age safe." It was only natural that the made it necessary to place the buns in a nephew should hasten to search for the fishnet bag, but they are all there and package, which was so bulky that it each year sees a new one added. In the year 1244, a wedded couple could not be overlooked. On opening it he found ten thousand, not dollars went in humble raiment to the convent but chess problems, which his uncle had of Bunmow, in Essex, England, to clipped from weekly and monthly papers register a solemn vow that during and magazines. With the problems was a year of married life not one angry a letter which set forth that no better word had passed between them. The possession could come to a young man good monk who presided over the con than those problems, for by solving them vent, highly pleased at the lowly pair, he would strengthen his reasoning powers hailed the convent cook, who happened to be passing with a flitch, or side of and so permanently benefit himself. The "good will" of an established bacon on his shoulder, and ordered it business is a valuable possession, and a to be presented to the happy couple, curious instance of the bequest of such unlimited bacon or pork being the acme of pleasure to the people in that day. "good will" has recently attracted atten tion. In the East End of London is a On receiving the flitch the peasant threw public house, or saloon as we call it, off his cloak and declared himself to be known as the "Widow's Son." On each Robert de Fitzwalter, a powerful feudal recurring Good Friday the owner has a chieftain. In return for the kindly gift special cross-bun baked and placed with he bequeathed to the convent — appropriate ceremonies in a bag which Broad lands both far and near Which shall to thee and thine produce hangs from the ceiling of the bar. In One thousand marks a year. this bag are nearly a hundred such buns, But this condition I annex, some of them dirt-begrimed and dried Or else the trust's forsaken, up. The origin of the custom goes back That whensoe'er a pair shall come And take the vow I've taken, nearly a hundred years, when the only They shall from thee and thine receive son of a widow, who then owned the A goodly flitch of bacon. house, ran away to sea, but afterwards To quote the exact words of the be sent word that he was returning and quest: "That whatever married couple would be home on Good Friday. Antici pating the joyful event, the widow made will go to the priory, and, kneeling on him a special and extra large bun, but two sharp-pointed stones, will swear he did not come, so she saved it to that they have not quarreled nor re show him that he was not forgotten. pented of their marriage within a year Several years went by, and he still and a day after its celebration, shall failed to return, but each year another receive a flitch of bacon." It was not bun was added to the others, and they until 1445, two hundred years after the were finally hung up on a string from trust had been instituted, that the first the ceiling of the bar. When the widow claim was made, and up to the present died over fifty years ago, she bequeathed time less than than twenty couples have the good will of the house and all her claimed the prize. No claim was made