Two Irishmen decide to go the horse races for fun. They weren't used to betting, so they watched everything very carefully. As the stable boys led the horses out for the first race, they noticed an old priest down by the rail of the track, waiting. As the last horse came by, the priest raised his hand and blessed the last horse, which was a fine bay. The two men decided that was a good omen, and they bet a small amount on the bay. Then they took their seats for the race. The gun went off, and the bay leaped out of the box, took the lead, and won the race. The men were astonished but pleased, and collected their small winnings. Then they settled down to watch the next set of horses being led out. Sure enough, when the last horse was being led past the rail, the priest raised his hand again, and blessed a white horse. Hurriedly the two men bet a slightly larger amount on the white horse, and then took their seats again. The gun went off, the horses came out of the box, and the white horse won handily. The men were elated at having won a substantial sum. Eagerly they watched to see which horse the priest would bless next. The stable boys led the next group out past the rail, and the last horse was a skinny old horse with mangy hair. The priest made the sign of the cross and muttered something. The men looked at each other, and then decided to bet everything they had on the poor-looking horse; the odds were long against him, and if he won they'd never work another day in their lives. They emptied their pockets at the betting window, and then sat down again. The gun went off. The horses leaped out of the box. The mangy horse ran a quarter mile down the track, and then fell down stone cold dead. The men were astonished and dismayed, and made their way down to the priest at the rail. "Father," one said, "We saw you bless the first horse, and he won. Then you blessed the second horse, and he won. But when you blessed the last horse he ran down the track and died without even finishing. What happened?" The priest looked at him like he was an idiot, and finally managed to say, " Faith and begorrah, can't you tell the difference between a blessing and last rites?!"

[this joke was told by our parish priest at a St Patrick's day dinner]

Kurt

__________________
- '79 240D - engine swap complete! Engine broken in! 28-31 mpg! Lovin' the ride!
- '86 190D (W201-126) - 2.5 NA engine, 5 speed, cloth interior, manual climate controls, 33-34 mpg (sold to forum member).