The Wise Judge and the Golden Necklace

Copy 1: 100–120 Words

Once a golden necklace was lost from a rich man’s house. A few servants worked in the house. The rich man thought one servant had stolen it. But he did not know who the thief was.

He went to a wise judge. The judge called all the servants. He gave each servant a stick. He said, “Keep these sticks tonight. The thief’s stick will grow one inch longer by morning.”

The guilty servant became afraid. At night, he cut one inch from his stick.

In the morning, all the servants came back. The judge checked the sticks. One stick was shorter. The judge caught the thief.

The servant confessed and returned the necklace.

Copy 2: 150–200 Words

Once a golden necklace was lost from a rich man’s house. A few servants worked in that house. The rich man looked everywhere, but he could not find the necklace. He thought, “One of my servants has stolen it.”

The rich man called the servants and asked them about the necklace. But all of them said, “We did not take it.” The rich man was helpless. So he went to a wise judge and told him everything.

The judge called all the servants to his court. He gave each servant a stick of the same size. Then he said, “Take these sticks home. Bring them back tomorrow morning. The thief’s stick will grow one inch longer at night.”

All the servants went home. The real thief became very afraid. He thought, “My stick will grow longer, and I will be caught.” So he cut one inch from his stick.

The next morning, the servants came back with the sticks. The judge saw that one stick was shorter than the others. He pointed to that servant and said, “You are the thief.” The servant confessed and returned the necklace.

Copy 3: 250–280 Words

Once a golden necklace was lost from a rich man’s house. The necklace was very costly. The rich man loved it very much because it belonged to his wife. A few servants worked in the house, so the rich man thought that one of them had stolen it.

He called all the servants and asked, “Who has taken the necklace?” All the servants answered, “Sir, we did not take it.” The rich man searched the rooms again, but he could not find the necklace. At last, he went to a wise judge and asked for help.

The judge listened carefully. Then he called all the servants to his court. He gave each servant a stick. All the sticks were of the same size. The judge said, “Take these sticks with you. Keep them under your pillows tonight. Tomorrow morning, bring them back to me. The thief’s stick will grow one inch longer at night.”

The servants went home with the sticks. The honest servants were not afraid. But the real thief became very worried. He thought, “If my stick grows longer, the judge will catch me.” So at night, he secretly cut one inch from his stick. Then he slept with a fearful mind.

The next morning, all the servants came to the judge with their sticks. The judge looked at the sticks one by one. He saw that one stick was shorter than the others. He smiled and said, “This man is the thief.”

The servant began to tremble. At last, he confessed his fault and returned the golden necklace. The rich man thanked the judge. The story teaches us that a guilty mind is always afraid.