The Judgment of a Wise Judge
Once, a valuable ornament went
missing from the house of a respected master. Despite searching every corner
and questioning his household, he failed to recover the precious item. Left
with no other option, he sought help from a wise judge known for his clever
methods.
The judge summoned all the house
servants, each of whom denied any involvement in the theft. Rather than
accusing anyone outright, the judge devised a clever plan. He handed each
servant a stick of equal length and declared, “By tomorrow, the stick belonging
to the guilty one will grow by an inch.”
Confused but obedient, the
servants returned home. The innocent ones left their sticks untouched. But the
thief, afraid his stick would indeed grow, secretly trimmed it by an inch to
avoid detection.
The next day, all servants
returned and presented their sticks. As expected, one stick was noticeably
shorter. The judge identified its owner—the true thief—and justice was served.