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've decided to give up drinking