Tuesday, September 30, 2014

"I promise I'll make it worth your while."

(208.27-210.22)  Upon leaving her house and heading out, ALP must've made a good impression, for one of the washerwomen says that she was crowned "chariton queen."  As she went on to "meander by that marritime way in her grasswinter's weeds," a chorus of "drouthdropping surfacemen" were in awe of her and said that she either got a facelift or had been doped.

The other washerwoman then asks, "But what was the game in her mixed baggyrhatty?"  ALP carried her bag -- which is the one ALP obtained from her son, Shaun the postman -- on her journey like Santa Claus.  She embraced her daughter, Isabella (here "Isolabella"), and ran with her reconciled sons, Shem and Shaun (here fashioned after the original Romans, Romulus and Remus, as "Romas and Reims").  From the bag, ALP gave gifts to these three, as well as all of her other children.  

The rest of the passage begins a long catalog of all of the gifts given by ALP.  This part is fairly easy to read (for the Wake), and entertaining to boot.  Some of the more interesting and fun gifts (and recipients) I found in today's reading include "for sulky Pender's acid nephew deltoïd drops, curiously strong;" "a brazen nose and pigiron mittens for Johnny Walker beg;" "a papar flag of the saints and stripes for Kevineen O'Dea" (combining paper flag, papal flag, and the stars and stripes); and "a seasick trip on a government ship for Teague O'Flanagan."  It looks like there's a full boatload of more gifts coming in tomorrow's reading . . .

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