Posted by Charlie S (12.39.93.18) on March 18, 2001 at 00:51:17:
An oldie but good for the season
An Irishman moves into a tiny hamlet in County Kerry,
walks into the pub and promptly orders three beers.
The bartender raises his eyebrows, but serves the man
three beers, which he drinks quietly at a table,
alone.
An hour later, the man has finished the three beers
and orders three more. This happens yet again. The
next evening the man again orders and drinks three
beers at a time, several times. Soon the entire town
is whispering about the Man Who Orders Three Beers.
Finally a week later, the bartender broaches the
subject on behalf of the town. "I don't mean to pry,
but folks around here are wondering why you always
order three beers?"
"Tis odd, isn't it?" the man replies, "You see, I have
two brothers, and one went to American and the other
to Australia. We promised each other that we would
always order an extra two beers whenever we drank as a
way of keeping up the family bond."
The bartender, and the whole town, was pleased with
this answer, and soon the Man Who Orders Three Beers
became a local celebrity and source of pride to the
hamlet, even to the extent that out-of-towners would
come to watch him drink.
Then, one day, the man comes in and orders only two
beers. The bartender pours them with a heavy heart.
This continues for the rest of the evening: he orders
only two beers. The word flies around town. Prayers
are offered for the soul of one of the brothers. The
next day, the bartender says to the man, "Folks around
here, me first of all, want to offer condolences to
you for the death of your brother. You know - the two
beers and all...."
The man ponders this for a moment then replies,
"You'll be happy to hear that my two brothers are
alive and well. It's just that I, meself, have decided
to give up drinking for Lent."
Smiles,- - -Charlie S :^)