August 11, 2025 • 11 mins
https://www.solgoodmedia.com Listen to hundreds of audiobooks, thousands of short stories, and ambient sounds all ad-free! Step into a world of daily intrigue and timeless tales with our Classic Adventure Podcast Series! Each day, we bring to life a new chapter from a beloved classic, inviting you on an exhilarating journey through some of the greatest adventure stories ever written. Imagine unraveling the mysteries with Sherlock Holmes, exploring bizarre landscapes with Alice, or circumnavigating the globe in just eighty days. Why settle for mundane daily commutes or routine chores when you can escape into the thrilling escapades of "Treasure Island" or the eerie encounters in "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow"? Our podcast transforms your every day into a captivating adventure, perfect for both the literary enthusiast and the casual listener seeking an escape from the ordinary. Join us as we traverse the dark depths of "Heart of Darkness," soar through the imaginative realms of "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz," and survive the wilds with "Robinson Crusoe." Each episode is crafted to make the classics accessible and exciting, ensuring that whether you're reliving your favorite tales or discovering them for the first time, you're guaranteed a gripping experience. Subscribe to our Classic Adventure Podcast Series today and start your daily adventure! Let us awaken the explorer in you as we delve into these timeless narratives, chapter by chapter, transforming your daily routine into an extraordinary journey through the pages of history's most thrilling adventures. Don't just listen to stories—live them every day with us!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Chapter nineteen begins with something about the little sodopsys, but
branches off on another subject, to wit the silent song
of singing fingers. The fair maid of the city of Silver,
Beryl Brow, is kind enough to enlighten me on a
second point, and he takes occasion to pay Vulgar a
very high compliment, which of course he deserved. The longer
(00:24):
I stayed among the pseudopses, the more did I become
convinced that they were the happiest, the lightest hearted, the
most contented human beings that I had met in all
my travels. If it were possible for the links of
a long chain suspended over a chasm to be living,
thinking beans for a short while, it seems to me
they would hang together in the most perfect accord, for
(00:46):
each link would discover that he was no better than
his neighbor, and that the welfare of all the other
links depended upon him in his upon theirs. So it
was with the former folk, having no sense of sight,
they do no such thing as envy, and all hands
were alike when reached out for a greeting. I was
(01:06):
amazed at times to see how they could feel my
approach When I would be ten or fifteen feet away
from them, and I often amused myself by trying to
steal by one of them in the street, But no,
it was impossible. A hand would invariably be held out
for a greeting. Little by little they got over their
distrust of me and made up their minds that I
had told them the truth when I said that no
(01:28):
dancing inspect was forever following at my heels. One of
the most interesting sights was to see a group of
Sudopsy children at play, building houses with silver blocks, or
playing a game very much like our dominoes. I noticed
that they kept no tally such wonderful memories had they
that it was quite unnecessary. At first, the children were
(01:48):
so frightened upon feeling of me that they fled with
terror pictured upon their little faces. Their parents explained to
me that I made very much the same impression upon
them as if I should feel of a person who
skin was as rough as a sea urchin's. When at
last I succeeded in coaxing several of them to my side,
I was astounded to see one little fellow, who had
(02:09):
by chance pressed his tiny hand against my watch pocket,
sprang away from me, terror stricken, he had felt it ticked,
and didn't stop running until he had reached his mother's side.
His wonderful tail that the little baron carried some strange
animal round his pocket soon caused a crowd to collect
about me, and it was some time before I could
persuade even the parents that the watch was not alive,
(02:32):
and that it was not the little animal's heart which
they felt beating. On one occasion, when a little soodopsy
was sitting on my lap, with its tiny arm twined
affectionately around my neck, I happened to make some remark
to Bulger, when, to my amazement, the child sprang out
of my arms and darted away, with a look of
terror upon his little face. What had I done to him? Why?
(02:55):
It seems that by the merest chance, his tiny hand
had been pressed against my throat, and that he had
been terrified by feeling the strange vibration caused by my voice. Immediately,
the report was spread about that the little baron carried
another little baron around in his throat, that any one
could feel him if I would only consent. It took
me a long while to convince them that what they
(03:18):
felt was not another little baron, but merely the vibration
caused by my expelling my breath in a way peculiar
to the people of the upper world. But all the same,
I was obliged to say many hundreds of useless things
to Bulgar in order to give their little hands a
chance to feel something so wonderful. From the little I
(03:38):
have told you about the names of the former folk,
dear friends, you have no doubt understood that their names
took their rise from some physical quality, defect or peculiarity.
Besides the names I have already mentioned, I remember sharp chin,
long nose, silk ears, smooth palms, big knuckle, nail off,
(03:59):
hammer fist, soft touch, hole in cheek or hole in chin, dimple,
crooked hair, cowlic and so on and so on. But
to my amazement, one day, when asking the name of
a young girl whose long and delicate fingers had attracted
my attention, I was informed that her name was singing fingers,
or possibly I might translate it music fingers. I had
(04:23):
noticed that thus Pseudopsis had some idea of music, for
the children often amused themselves dancing, and while so engaged
beat time with their finger tips on each other's cheeks
or foreheads. But I was completely in the dark as
to what they meant by singing fingers, or why the
young girls should have been so named. Hence I was
greatly pleased to hear the maiden's mother ask me whether
(04:44):
I would like to feel one of her daughter's songs,
as she termed it. Upon my acquiescing, the mother approached
me and proceeded to roll up the sleeves of my
coat until she had laid my arms bare to the elbow.
Then she took my arms and clasped them across my breast,
one above the other. Bulger watched this proceeding with somewhat
of displeasure in his eyes. He had half an idea
(05:06):
that these silent people might play some hurtful trick upon
his little master, But my smile soon disarmed his suspicion.
Singing fingers now drew near, and as her sweet face,
with its sightless eyes, turned full upon me, I could
hardly keep back the tears. And yet why grieve for
any one who seemed to be so perfectly happy? A
(05:26):
smile played around her dainty little mouth, disclosing her tiny,
silvery white teeth like so many real pearls, and her
bosom rose and fell quickly, sending forth a faint breathing sound.
She looked so like a radiant child of some of
the world, that before I thought, I cried out, speak, oh, speak,
(05:47):
beautiful child. In an instant she drew back, affrightened, for
the sudden vibration of the air had startled her. But
I reached out and touched her hand to give her
to understand that she need fear nothing. And then she
drew near to me again. Suddenly her beautiful hands, with
their long, frailed, delicate fingers, were lifted into the air,
and she began to sway her body and to wave
(06:08):
her hands in gentle and graceful motions, as if keeping
time with some music. Gradually she drew nearer to me,
and ever and anon her silken finger tips touched my
hands or arms as if they were a keyboard, and
she was about to begin to execute a soft and
dainty bit of music. I noticed that her fingers had
(06:30):
some delightful perfume upon them. Now, fast and faster, the
gentle taps rain upon me with rhythmic regularity. They soothed me,
they thrilled me, They reached my heart, as if they
were the sweet notes of a flute or the soft
tones of a singer's voice. The maiden is really singing
to me. It seems to me that I can understand
(06:52):
what she is saying, or rather thinking, as her dainty
finger tips fairly fly hither and thither, and I can
hear her low breathing grow louder and louder. Suddenly she
leaves my hands and arms, and I feel her gentle
tapping on my cheeks and brow so gently, oh so gently,
and soothingly her fingers touch me that at last they
(07:13):
feel like rose leaves dragged across my face. The sensation
is so delightful, so like the soft touch of sleep
to weary eyes, that I drop off in good earnest.
And when after a moment or so I opened my eyes,
there sat the smiling form of folk waiting for me
to awake. And there stood the radiant visage, singing fingers
(07:34):
in front of me, childlike waiting to be commended. And
so you see, dear friends, that it is not so
hard to be happy after all, if you only set
about it in the right way. The former folk seemed
to have set about it in the right way. Judging
by results, and they are the only things we have
to judge by. Some men will fish all day and
(07:56):
not have a bite, and some people will try their
whole lives to catch happiness and not get any more
than a nibble. They don't use the right kind of fate.
Let him try a kind act, a live one. There
was something I wanted to ask of the learned barrel brow,
So the next call I made on him, I put
this question to him, is it possible, learned master, that
(08:18):
thy people have absolutely no guide, no overseer, no rulers.
The great scholar of the former folks seized reading the
four books which lay opened before him, one under each
hand and one under each foot, as I handed him
my silver tablet, Little baron was his reply. If there
were only a bramble bush big enough for all you
(08:40):
people of the upper world to jump into, and if
you could only get rid of your ears, too, you
would soon be rid of your rulers, who oppress you,
who prey upon you, For no one would have any
desire to be a ruler if there was no one
left to look at him, and if he couldn't hear
what the flatterers said about him, vanity is the soil
(09:00):
that rulers spring from, as the mushrooms spring from the
rich loam of our dark caverns. They pretend that it
is the exercise of power that they are so fond of.
Believe them not, it is the gratification of their vanity,
and nothing else. If it were only in thy power
to say to every man who itched to be a ruler,
(09:22):
will and good brother a ruler, thou shalt be, but
bear in mind, weak man, that when thou hast on
thy gaudy uniform and mounted thy gaily caparison steed, when
thou ridest at the head of troop and cavalcade, with
ten thousand armed men following thee on foot as slaves
their master, and the plaudits of the foolish multitude rend
(09:44):
the air, no eye shall witness the splendor of thy triumph.
No ear catch a sound of the deafening cheers. Take
my word for it, little Baron, No one would want
to be a ruler any more. Where there are no rulers,
Little Baron, continue the learned barrel brow, there can be
no followers. Where there are no followers, there will be
(10:06):
no quarreling. When it becomes necessary in our nation, we
form the Great Circle for deliberation. Each man writes out
what he thinks on his tablet. Then the opinions are
read and counted, and the majority rules. But we form
the great circle only in times of urgent need. Generally speaking,
the smaller circles answer all the purposes. In fact, the
(10:28):
family circle is in most cases quite sufficient. I touched
first barrel Brow's heart in token of my gratitude for
the many things which he had taught me, and then
the back of his head to bid him good night.
You may imagine his and my delight, dear friends, when
the wise bulgar raised himself on his hind legs and
with his right paw also thank the learned barrel Brow,
(10:51):
and then bade him good night by a light tap
on the back of his head. Fortunate, the traveler, wrote,
the learned pseudopsy, attended by so wise and watchful a companion. True,
like a child, he goes on all fours, but by
so doing he brings his heart and his brains on
the same level. The only way for a man to
(11:11):
wear them if he would do his fellow creatures any good.
The trouble with thy people in the upper world. Little
Baron is that they think too much. They clasp minds
instead of clasping hands. They send messengers with gifts instead
of giving themselves. They hire people to dance for them,
to sing for them, to be merry for them. They
(11:33):
will not be satisfied until they have hired people to
help them. Be sorry to whom they may say, my
friend is dead, I loved him. Weep three whole days
for him. End Chapter nineteen
Chapter nineteen begins with something about the little sodopsys, but
branches off on another subject, to wit the silent song
of singing fingers. The fair maid of the city of Silver,
Beryl Brow, is kind enough to enlighten me on a
second point, and he takes occasion to pay Vulgar a
very high compliment, which of course he deserved. The longer
(00:24):
I stayed among the pseudopses, the more did I become
convinced that they were the happiest, the lightest hearted, the
most contented human beings that I had met in all
my travels. If it were possible for the links of
a long chain suspended over a chasm to be living,
thinking beans for a short while, it seems to me
they would hang together in the most perfect accord, for
(00:46):
each link would discover that he was no better than
his neighbor, and that the welfare of all the other
links depended upon him in his upon theirs. So it
was with the former folk, having no sense of sight,
they do no such thing as envy, and all hands
were alike when reached out for a greeting. I was
(01:06):
amazed at times to see how they could feel my
approach When I would be ten or fifteen feet away
from them, and I often amused myself by trying to
steal by one of them in the street, But no,
it was impossible. A hand would invariably be held out
for a greeting. Little by little they got over their
distrust of me and made up their minds that I
had told them the truth when I said that no
(01:28):
dancing inspect was forever following at my heels. One of
the most interesting sights was to see a group of
Sudopsy children at play, building houses with silver blocks, or
playing a game very much like our dominoes. I noticed
that they kept no tally such wonderful memories had they
that it was quite unnecessary. At first, the children were
(01:48):
so frightened upon feeling of me that they fled with
terror pictured upon their little faces. Their parents explained to
me that I made very much the same impression upon
them as if I should feel of a person who
skin was as rough as a sea urchin's. When at
last I succeeded in coaxing several of them to my side,
I was astounded to see one little fellow, who had
(02:09):
by chance pressed his tiny hand against my watch pocket,
sprang away from me, terror stricken, he had felt it ticked,
and didn't stop running until he had reached his mother's side.
His wonderful tail that the little baron carried some strange
animal round his pocket soon caused a crowd to collect
about me, and it was some time before I could
persuade even the parents that the watch was not alive,
(02:32):
and that it was not the little animal's heart which
they felt beating. On one occasion, when a little soodopsy
was sitting on my lap, with its tiny arm twined
affectionately around my neck, I happened to make some remark
to Bulger, when, to my amazement, the child sprang out
of my arms and darted away, with a look of
terror upon his little face. What had I done to him? Why?
(02:55):
It seems that by the merest chance, his tiny hand
had been pressed against my throat, and that he had
been terrified by feeling the strange vibration caused by my voice. Immediately,
the report was spread about that the little baron carried
another little baron around in his throat, that any one
could feel him if I would only consent. It took
me a long while to convince them that what they
(03:18):
felt was not another little baron, but merely the vibration
caused by my expelling my breath in a way peculiar
to the people of the upper world. But all the same,
I was obliged to say many hundreds of useless things
to Bulgar in order to give their little hands a
chance to feel something so wonderful. From the little I
(03:38):
have told you about the names of the former folk,
dear friends, you have no doubt understood that their names
took their rise from some physical quality, defect or peculiarity.
Besides the names I have already mentioned, I remember sharp chin,
long nose, silk ears, smooth palms, big knuckle, nail off,
(03:59):
hammer fist, soft touch, hole in cheek or hole in chin, dimple,
crooked hair, cowlic and so on and so on. But
to my amazement, one day, when asking the name of
a young girl whose long and delicate fingers had attracted
my attention, I was informed that her name was singing fingers,
or possibly I might translate it music fingers. I had
(04:23):
noticed that thus Pseudopsis had some idea of music, for
the children often amused themselves dancing, and while so engaged
beat time with their finger tips on each other's cheeks
or foreheads. But I was completely in the dark as
to what they meant by singing fingers, or why the
young girls should have been so named. Hence I was
greatly pleased to hear the maiden's mother ask me whether
(04:44):
I would like to feel one of her daughter's songs,
as she termed it. Upon my acquiescing, the mother approached
me and proceeded to roll up the sleeves of my
coat until she had laid my arms bare to the elbow.
Then she took my arms and clasped them across my breast,
one above the other. Bulger watched this proceeding with somewhat
of displeasure in his eyes. He had half an idea
(05:06):
that these silent people might play some hurtful trick upon
his little master, But my smile soon disarmed his suspicion.
Singing fingers now drew near, and as her sweet face,
with its sightless eyes, turned full upon me, I could
hardly keep back the tears. And yet why grieve for
any one who seemed to be so perfectly happy? A
(05:26):
smile played around her dainty little mouth, disclosing her tiny,
silvery white teeth like so many real pearls, and her
bosom rose and fell quickly, sending forth a faint breathing sound.
She looked so like a radiant child of some of
the world, that before I thought, I cried out, speak, oh, speak,
(05:47):
beautiful child. In an instant she drew back, affrightened, for
the sudden vibration of the air had startled her. But
I reached out and touched her hand to give her
to understand that she need fear nothing. And then she
drew near to me again. Suddenly her beautiful hands, with
their long, frailed, delicate fingers, were lifted into the air,
and she began to sway her body and to wave
(06:08):
her hands in gentle and graceful motions, as if keeping
time with some music. Gradually she drew nearer to me,
and ever and anon her silken finger tips touched my
hands or arms as if they were a keyboard, and
she was about to begin to execute a soft and
dainty bit of music. I noticed that her fingers had
(06:30):
some delightful perfume upon them. Now, fast and faster, the
gentle taps rain upon me with rhythmic regularity. They soothed me,
they thrilled me, They reached my heart, as if they
were the sweet notes of a flute or the soft
tones of a singer's voice. The maiden is really singing
to me. It seems to me that I can understand
(06:52):
what she is saying, or rather thinking, as her dainty
finger tips fairly fly hither and thither, and I can
hear her low breathing grow louder and louder. Suddenly she
leaves my hands and arms, and I feel her gentle
tapping on my cheeks and brow so gently, oh so gently,
and soothingly her fingers touch me that at last they
(07:13):
feel like rose leaves dragged across my face. The sensation
is so delightful, so like the soft touch of sleep
to weary eyes, that I drop off in good earnest.
And when after a moment or so I opened my eyes,
there sat the smiling form of folk waiting for me
to awake. And there stood the radiant visage, singing fingers
(07:34):
in front of me, childlike waiting to be commended. And
so you see, dear friends, that it is not so
hard to be happy after all, if you only set
about it in the right way. The former folk seemed
to have set about it in the right way. Judging
by results, and they are the only things we have
to judge by. Some men will fish all day and
(07:56):
not have a bite, and some people will try their
whole lives to catch happiness and not get any more
than a nibble. They don't use the right kind of fate.
Let him try a kind act, a live one. There
was something I wanted to ask of the learned barrel brow,
So the next call I made on him, I put
this question to him, is it possible, learned master, that
(08:18):
thy people have absolutely no guide, no overseer, no rulers.
The great scholar of the former folks seized reading the
four books which lay opened before him, one under each
hand and one under each foot, as I handed him
my silver tablet, Little baron was his reply. If there
were only a bramble bush big enough for all you
(08:40):
people of the upper world to jump into, and if
you could only get rid of your ears, too, you
would soon be rid of your rulers, who oppress you,
who prey upon you, For no one would have any
desire to be a ruler if there was no one
left to look at him, and if he couldn't hear
what the flatterers said about him, vanity is the soil
(09:00):
that rulers spring from, as the mushrooms spring from the
rich loam of our dark caverns. They pretend that it
is the exercise of power that they are so fond of.
Believe them not, it is the gratification of their vanity,
and nothing else. If it were only in thy power
to say to every man who itched to be a ruler,
(09:22):
will and good brother a ruler, thou shalt be, but
bear in mind, weak man, that when thou hast on
thy gaudy uniform and mounted thy gaily caparison steed, when
thou ridest at the head of troop and cavalcade, with
ten thousand armed men following thee on foot as slaves
their master, and the plaudits of the foolish multitude rend
(09:44):
the air, no eye shall witness the splendor of thy triumph.
No ear catch a sound of the deafening cheers. Take
my word for it, little Baron, No one would want
to be a ruler any more. Where there are no rulers,
Little Baron, continue the learned barrel brow, there can be
no followers. Where there are no followers, there will be
(10:06):
no quarreling. When it becomes necessary in our nation, we
form the Great Circle for deliberation. Each man writes out
what he thinks on his tablet. Then the opinions are
read and counted, and the majority rules. But we form
the great circle only in times of urgent need. Generally speaking,
the smaller circles answer all the purposes. In fact, the
(10:28):
family circle is in most cases quite sufficient. I touched
first barrel Brow's heart in token of my gratitude for
the many things which he had taught me, and then
the back of his head to bid him good night.
You may imagine his and my delight, dear friends, when
the wise bulgar raised himself on his hind legs and
with his right paw also thank the learned barrel Brow,
(10:51):
and then bade him good night by a light tap
on the back of his head. Fortunate, the traveler, wrote,
the learned pseudopsy, attended by so wise and watchful a companion. True,
like a child, he goes on all fours, but by
so doing he brings his heart and his brains on
the same level. The only way for a man to
(11:11):
wear them if he would do his fellow creatures any good.
The trouble with thy people in the upper world. Little
Baron is that they think too much. They clasp minds
instead of clasping hands. They send messengers with gifts instead
of giving themselves. They hire people to dance for them,
to sing for them, to be merry for them. They
(11:33):
will not be satisfied until they have hired people to
help them. Be sorry to whom they may say, my
friend is dead, I loved him. Weep three whole days
for him. End Chapter nineteen
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce
Football’s funniest family duo — Jason Kelce of the Philadelphia Eagles and Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs — team up to provide next-level access to life in the league as it unfolds. The two brothers and Super Bowl champions drop weekly insights about the weekly slate of games and share their INSIDE perspectives on trending NFL news and sports headlines. They also endlessly rag on each other as brothers do, chat the latest in pop culture and welcome some very popular and well-known friends to chat with them. Check out new episodes every Wednesday. Follow New Heights on the Wondery App, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes early and ad-free, and get exclusive content on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. And join our new membership for a unique fan experience by going to the New Heights YouTube channel now!