“You are that man, Jake.” Alice smiled, her heart full.
“I donated all the gifts that Dusty bought for you to charity, but I still have the ones I paid for and the book of sonnets.”
“The ones you paid for by washing dishes?”
“Yes, the ones I paid for by washing dishes. I’ll happily give them back to you for a wedding gift if you’ll consent to marry me. I love you, Alice. You are my most cherished gift.”
“And you are mine, Jake. I would love to marry you.”
Jake stood and drew her into his arms. This time their kiss lasted until Jake’s uncle and Mrs. Stribling walked into the newspaper office.
The End
AUTHOR’S NOTE
In the early 1900’s national banks throughout the west printed their own money. The First National Bank of Idaho printed $3,041,530 dollars with of national currency between 1867 and 1935. The First National Bank of Cheyenne printed $1,897,250 dollars worth during that same period. The United States National Bank of Portland, Oregon printed $25,832,230 dollars worth of national currency. Occasionally, a skilled engraver who worked at a bank during the day, printed counterfeit money by night. Then he sold his fake money to dealers and passers for up to half the face value printed on the bills. The passers were often women, well-dressed confident individuals who were so respected that shopkeepers didn’t even look at the the currency they were handed.
In the late 1800s and early 1900s many people falsely believed that counterfeit notes helped the economy, keeping merchants in business and helping the average man have a better life. And for a long time, no one seemed to know or care if banknotes were legal or counterfeit. Merchants accepted both without question and simply passed the counterfeit money on to the next person. Also, the country’s economy was growing, but the prosperity didn’t reach everyone. Laborers who eked out marginal wages in the work force found that they could supplement their income with counterfeit money.
Sometimes the border between real and counterfeit became blurry. Allan Pinkerton, who got his start prosecuting counterfeiters, claimed that many businesses “preferred a good counterfeit on a solid bank to any genuine bill of a shyster institution.”
Counterfeit money is actually a threat to any nation and always has been because it reduces the value of real money and causes inflation. During wartime, many countries have actually tried to saturate another nations currency with counterfeit money. Great Britain tried to flood the U.S. with fake money during the Revolutionary War. During the Civil War, the north purposely flooded the South with counterfeit money.
The Secret Service was founded toward the end of the civil war to combat the widespread counterfeiting that took place during the war. Originally, they operated back east in the big cities, but by the early 1900’s they had to spread their operations to smaller western towns, where counterfeiters had migrated.
If you enjoyed reading A Cherished Gift, please consider leaving a review on Amazon and/or Goodreads. Reviews help more readers find my books and are so very appreciated. Thank you for your help.
I love to hear from readers. You can email me at [email protected]. To hear about more upcoming books you can find me on the web at vickihuntbudge.com or on Facebook at VickiHuntBudgeAuthor.
Also by Vicki Hunt Budge
THE SURVEYOR’S DAUGHTERS SERIES:
Her Believing Heart
Ruby’s Rhapsody
Daring to Dream
Winds of Change
Contemporary Women’s Fiction
Love Abounds
HOPE & HEALING SERIES
Intercession
Renewal
Deliverance
Acknowledgments
Special thanks to you, the reader. You make the whole process of writing, revising, and rewriting worthwhile. I often get lost in time when working with my characters and telling their stories because I enjoy writing about them so much. But nothing thrills me more than to have someone say they loved my book and/or the characters.
I am indebted to Deborah, Angie, Janice, Mark, and Michelle for critiquing the early manuscript. Their insights and suggestions were invaluable and greatly improved this book.
A special thank you to Malary Bartholomew for editing the manuscript, and to Erin Dameron-Hill of EDHGraphics for the amazing cover art!
I’d like to express my love and gratitude to my husband and best friend. His devotion and encouragement mean everything to me.
I want to acknowledge the help and guidance I received to countless prayers about this book. When I prayed, the answers always came. The joy of writing increased tenfold during these moments.
About the Author
Vicki Hunt Budge grew up in southern Idaho with a mother who read to her and a father who taught her to golf and swim. She attended Idaho State University and the University of Utah. Vicki and her husband raised four children on a small peppermint farm in Central Oregon. She has always loved history and the settling of the west because years ago her ancestors broke up sod and sagebrush in southern Idaho to farm and raise their families. In addition to her family, Vicki enjoys reading, family history, long walks along the river trails, writing sweet historical western romance and contemporary women’s fiction, and not cooking. Nothing makes her happier than beating her grandchildren at the game of Aggravation, or their wild celebrations when they beat her.
This is Vicki’s ninth book.
A Cherished Gift Page 12
