Back to: Karnataka Board Class 7th English Guide and Notes
Table of Contents
Introduction
This story talks about how a poor but smart boy called Dhira catches a jewellery thief. Dhira polishes shoes for a living and one day hears about a theft at a jewellery store. Unexpectedly, he comes across the thief and helps the police catch him.
Characters
Dhira– a hardworking boy who polishes shoes for a living
The thief– a man who stole a gold chain from a jewellery store
Passerby– a man who tells Dhira about the theft
Policemen– the policemen who finally catch the thief
Dhira Learns About the Theft
Dhira was a hardworking shoeshine boy. He lost his father when he was little and lived with his mother and sister. After school, he would sit near a cinema hall and polish shoes.
On a hot day, Dhira sat under a tree counting his day’s earnings when he overheard a passerby say that a thief had just robbed and escaped from a jewellery shop. He asked the passerby when and where it happened. The passerby said it had happened just then. A man had stolen a gold necklace and run away. People said he had a beard.
Dhira was about to go towards the jewellery shop when a customer came and told him to polish his shoes nicely. The customer looked like a rich man.
Dhira sat down immediately to polish his shoes, but his mind was still on the theft. The man first put his left foot on the stand. Dhira dusted the shoe quickly and started shining it.
Dhira noticed two policemen approaching. The customer suddenly got angry and said he was not doing his job well, while glancing at the policemen. He told him to polish his shoes till they shone.
Dhira was scared that he would complain about him to the policemen. So, he concentrated on polishing the shoe. When he was done with the left shoe, he asked for the other one. The man put his other foot on the stand and told him to hurry up.
Dhira Catches the Thief
Dhira thought it was funny that the man was suddenly in a great hurry. He dusted the shoe quickly and applied some polish to it. As he was about to shine it with the cloth, he found something sticking out of it at the back. He tried to take a closer look and was very surprised.
The man took his foot off the stand but Dhira continued to shine the shoe. He tied the ends of the laces of the two shoes together and rushed to the policemen.
The man fell flat on his face when he tried to walk. As he struggled to get up, Dhira came back with the two policemen who caught the man. He was the jewel thief. The gold necklace was found in his shoe and his ‘beard’ was in his pocket. He was taken to the police station.
Dhira was praised and rewarded by the police and the jeweller. His school also honoured him with a medal for his bravery.
Conclusion
Dhira’s intelligence and bravery help the policemen catch the thief. We must all try to be smart and do brave deeds just like Dhira does.
