An Irishman moves into a tiny hamlet,
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 America, 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, myself,
have decided to give up drinking for Lent."
