There had been an epidemic of colds in the town, and one physician who had had scarcely any sleep for two days called upon a patient - an Irishman - who was suffering from pneumonia, and as he leaned over to hear the patient's respiration he called upon Pat to count.
The doctor was so fatigued that he fell asleep, with his ear on the sick man's chest. It seemed but a minute when he suddenly awoke to hear Pat still counting: "Tin thousand an' sivinty-six, tin thousand an' sivinty-sivin - "