Innocent Actions
Shambhu was a simpleton. In his own village, all knew his nature so well that nobody was prepared to employ him in any work. But poor Shambhu must earn his livelihood. He went away to Jankipur, a prosperous village bordering the town. There he found work with a rich farmer named Prasad. He was required to lead his cattle into the meadow, watch them graze there, and lead them back to his master's shed before dusk. One evening, after he had driven the cattle back to the shed, it was found that an old cow was missing. "Go you at once and return with the cow. Only then you shall eat," said Gauri, his master's wife. Shambhu had had his food in the morning only. He was awfully hungry. It would have been much better to let him eat first and then send him in search of the cow. As such, it was natural for him to feel tired after only a round of the meadow. But he was afraid of facing Gauri without the cow. He sprawled on the veranda of a deserted temple between the village and the meadow. At midnight he woke up at some voices. In the moonlight, he saw two able-bodied men shifting a slab of stone and sinking a pouch into a hole. "Let it lie here We can recover it after the sensation subsides," one told the other in a low tone.
Then they replaced the slab. Shambhu understood that they were thieves and they were hiding some treasure. As soon as the two departed, he removed the slab and picked up the pouch. It was quite heavy. "My master's wife will forget the cow when she gets the prize," he thought and ran to meet Gauri. At his knocks, Gauri opened the door and was about to rebuke him when he handed over the pouch to her. She carried it near a lamp and unfastened its string and looked into it. Her eyes grew bigger. Shambhu informed her that he got it from the street. Then he asked for food. "I am sorry to tell you, Shambhu, that I gave away the food meant for you to a beggar since you were so late in coming back. Go to sleep now. I shall cook a good dish for you in the morning." Gauri said. Shambhu sighed and retired. Gauri then showed the pouch to her husband. It was full of sets of dazzling ornaments. "Good God! These must have been stolen from some wealthy man's house. We will be in great trouble if fond out," said Prasad. "How can anyone know that these are with us?" asked Gauri, unwilling to part with the windfall. "It is Shambhu who will go on spreading the news. He is totally undependable!" said Prasad. Gauri thought for a moment and said, "Very well, see how I tackle Shambhu!" She then emptied the pouch and filled it with broken bricks. Shambhu was asleep.
She woke him up and said, "What on earth made you bring this pouch to me? It is full of bricks!" Shambhu, crestfallen, said, "But I thought it contained some precious goods!" "Go and bury it again," said Gauri. Shambhu proceeded to the deserted temple and sank the pouch in the hole. But when he was leaving the place, the thieves saw him. They grew suspicious and followed him. They marked where he went. Back at the temple, they opened the pouch and saw its content gone! They stood cursing and fuming. In the morning it was known that there had been a burglary in the palace. The queen's ornaments were stolen. The king announced a reward of ten thousand bucks for anyone who could give some clue to catching the burglars. The announcement made Prasad panicky. But Gauri gave him courage saying that the burglary would soon be forgotten. A few days passed. Gauri could no longer check her temptation to wear the ornaments. One night she put them on and saw herself in the mirror. She felt extremely elated.