While having lunch in Luchow with a group of writer friends, Ernest Hemingway made a claim to his friends that even a very short story could make people sad. Of course, other writers did not believe it. Hemingway told each of them to put $10 in the middle of the table and pay the same amount himself if he was wrong. If he was right, he would get all the money. Writing six words quickly on a handkerchief, Hemingway handed it to his friends. His friends gave him this money without saying a word. The six words were:
“For sale: Baby shoes. Never worn.”
(For Sale: Baby shoes. Never worn.)
