A Cherished Gift

by Vicki Hunt Budge

  “Whoa! What’s this?” Jake asked.

  “I told you. This guy I know gives me fifty cents on the dollar, and I just passed some of my fortune on to you. You’ll be able to buy your lady all kinds of gifts with the money you can make through me.”

  “I don’t understand,” Jake said. “Where does this guy get the money?”

  “He prints it.”

  Jake’s eyes flared to the size of quarters, and Dusty laughed.

  “That’s illegal!”

  “No. Not necessarily. Now I’m telling you this in confidence. You see, this guy makes paper money for the bank. That’s his day job. Banks make their own money all over the country. Did you know that? So this guy goes home from work and makes more money. The money he makes at home doesn’t hurt a soul and it helps our country by helping the economy. The bills get passed from merchant to customers and back to merchants again just like money from the bank. Nobody cares where the money comes from, and like I said before, the money helps the economy. Nearly everybody’s doing this nowadays.”

  Jake held out the two-dollar bills. “Here,” he said. “Something about this doesn’t seem right to me.”

  Dusty simply laughed. “No, you keep them. They’re a gift from me. They look and feel like the real things, and people can’t tell the difference. You didn’t notice until I told you, and neither did those salesmen or the owner of the men’s department store when I paid them. If they did notice, they didn’t care. I’m telling you, Jake, money like this helps the nation grow. Everyone benefits. Buy your train ticket with some of the money I just gave you. The railroad will thank you!”

  With that, Dusty hopped out of the carriage and strutted into the office. “Enjoy spending time with your girl,” he called out. “And don’t forget to tell her that she’s pretty when you see her. A woman wants to know that she’s pretty.”

  Jake slowly climbed down from the carriage. Was Dusty telling the truth? The salesmen and even the owner of the clothing store gladly accepted Dusty’s money. Did they know it wasn’t real, or did they simply not care?

  5

  Saturday morning after riding with Reed on his delivery route, Alice waved goodbye to him and hurried into the house. She hung her hat and coat on a peg, placed her gloves on the shelf, and removed her boots. Ignoring the disgruntled looks from her sisters, she ran up the stairs to her room. Her early morning ride with Reed had been rejuvenating after her sleepless night, but they had gotten stuck in some mud before the last delivery. Now she was running late. In addition to Jake coming in the afternoon, her mother was expecting help with the Saturday housework.

  Alice had no sooner changed into a work dress, than she noticed the same two disgruntled faces staring at her from the doorway. Beth was the first to speak. “Ma says you get to blacken the stove today and clean out the ashes. Also clean the lamp chimneys.”

  “That’s because we did all the other housework while you were out having fun with Reed,” Fern added, drawing out Reed’s name with disdain.

  “All right, I’ll be down shortly,” Alice said, glancing at herself in her looking glass. She shooed her sisters out of the room. She would not let their grumpiness ruin the rest of her day. She had enough to worry about with Jake coming and the fact that she was having dinner with Frank Baldwin and his family. What would Jake think? What would he say? The whole thing made her insides tighten.

  Alice took one last look at herself in the looking glass and saw worry lines that hadn’t been there two days ago. She sighed and hurried down the stairs. When she entered the kitchen and saw the glass chimneys that needed cleaning, she lifted her chin and inhaled deeply. Blacking the stove, removing the ashes, and cleaning the chimneys was dirty work, but she didn’t mind dirty work. It was the worry about Jake coming on this day, of all days, that made her stomach churn.

  Beth stood by the sink waiting for her. “I’ll help you clean the chimneys,” she said in a meek voice as though she was trying to make amends for being grumpy.

  “Well, that’s sweet of you,” Alice said, giving her youngest sister a hug. “I thought you were angry with me.”

  “I am angry with you,” Beth said, “but I’ll help because you helped me and Fern with the laundry the other day so we could go to town. Besides, I want you to marry Jake, so you need to have time to clean up and look nice for him.”

  Alice laughed and pulled Beth in for another hug. She quickly set Beth up at the kitchen table with all the cleaning supplies to clean the chimneys. “Now be careful. Don’t break a chimney and cut yourself.”

  “I’m always careful,” Beth said.

  While Beth worked on the chimneys, Alice worked as quickly as possible, blacking the stove, scooping the ashes out of the firebox and into a metal bucket. After dumping the ashes out in the garden, she brushed as much soot off her dress as she could before reentering the kitchen.

  “You have black on your nose and cheeks,” Beth said, giggling.

  “I planned it that way,” Alice replied, sitting down at the table with a tall glass of water. She leaned toward Beth. “Now, if Ma walks in, she’ll take one look and know I’ve been working hard.”

  Fern came flouncing into the kitchen and sat down beside them. “You’d better hurry,” she said, picking up a rag and one of the chimneys to help. “Jake will be here soon, and you look dreadful.”

  “Thanks for the compliment,” Alice said. “But I do appreciate your help. Anytime I drive into town in the future I’ll be sure take you two with me.” As they worked, Alice started singing I’ve Been Working on the Railroad and her sisters quickly joined in.

  Thinking of the railroad started Alice’s heart racing. Jake had written that he’d arrive on the train around three in the afternoon. By the time he went home and saw his family, she could expect him sometime around four, and it was after three now.

  Alice no sooner picked up one of the last glass chimneys and started to clean, when the chimney cracked, and a glass shard pierced her hand. Fern and Beth screamed right along with her at the sight of blood flowing freely from the cut. Mrs. Gardner rushed into the kitchen and helped wash the wound, checking through the oozing blood to make sure there was no remnants of glass. After Fern brought out some clean rags, Mrs. Gardner carefully bandaged Alice’s hand.

  “Are you all right?” Mrs. Gardner asked as she worked.

  Alice nodded, but tears spilled from her eyes. “How dumb can I be? I don’t have time for this.” She was just sitting back down at the table when she heard a carriage coming up the drive.

  Fern and Beth rushed to the window. “It’s Jake!” they yelled in unison.

  When they turned around both Alice and Mrs. Gardner were gone, having rushed up the stairs to Alice’s room. Alice flopped onto the edge of her bed and held her painful hand out to her mother. “How can I even get ready?” she wailed.

  “Now don’t cry, dear,” Mrs. Gardner said, patting her daughter’s back. “We’ll help you clean up and get dressed.”

  Alice’s hand hurt like crazy, but she’d had worse injuries working on the farm. Her biggest concern was what her sisters might say to Jake. “What if Fern and Beth tell Jake about my ride with Reed this morning? He doesn’t need to know about that. And I wanted to tell him about having dinner with Frank’s family and him escorting me to the dance tonight! Not them!”

  “If you’re sure you’re okay, I’ll run down and visit with Jake,” Mrs. Gardner said. “I’ll send the girls up to help you bathe and dress.”

  Alice closed her eyes for only seconds. “Thanks, Ma,” she whispered. “Yes, please hurry and trade places with the girls.”

  Less than five minutes later, Mrs. Gardner sat in the parlor and visited with Jake while Fern and Beth carried warm water and clean linens up the stairs to Alice.

  “Did you tell Jake about me riding with Reed this morning,” Alice asked, while scrubbing herself with the perfumed soap Beth handed her. Fern wrung out a warm cloth for rinsing.

  “Of course not,” Fer
n said. “Do you think we’re brainless?”

  “No, but I think I’m brainless for cutting myself. Thank you, for helping me and for not telling Jake about my ride with Reed.”

  Beth’s face wrinkled into a pout. “I tried to tell Jake about you going to the dance with Frank tonight, but Fern kicked me.”

  Alice pulled Beth in for a hug. “Sorry you got kicked,” she said, “but I’m glad Fern stopped you from telling Jake. Don’t you think I should be the one to tell him?”

  “I wish you weren’t going with Frank”

  Alice sighed. “So do I,” she said. “So do I.”

  Fern and Beth laid out a rose-colored skirt with a pink and white striped blouse. After they helped Alice dress, Fern pulled Alice’s hair into a chignon and pinned it in place.

  “Did I miss any soot?” Alice asked.

  “Your ear,” Beth said, giggling and handing over the wet rag.

  Alice washed both ears and took one last glance in the looking glass. Then she stood and hugged Fern and Beth to her. “Thank you. You are the best sisters ever. Now, let’s go see Jake.”

  And with that, she followed the girls down the stairs and into the parlor.

  Jake stood the moment they entered the room. “Ah, the three prettiest ladies in all of Idaho,” he said.

  Alice’s breath caught in her throat when she saw Jake, so dashing in a new suit. The deep red jacquard vest he wore added a rich splash of color to the dark suit. She took the flowers he held out to her, blushing profusely while Fern and Beth giggled. “They’re beautiful,” she managed to say.

  Mrs. Gardner stood and addressed her youngest daughters. “Come along girls, we’ll go start supper and leave these two to visit.”

  “But we didn’t get to talk to Jake very long,” Beth whined.

  Mrs. Gardner simply smiled and motioned for the girls to head toward the kitchen area. “You’ll see Jake tomorrow when he comes for dinner,” she said, and as she walked past Alice, she winked. “Would you like me to take your flowers and put them in a vase?”

  “Oh yes, please.” Alice handed the daffodils to her mother and let out a calming breath. Thankfully, her mother had already extended the invitation for Jake to have Sunday dinner and he had accepted. Now all Alice had to do was explain her evening plans and hope he wouldn’t be too unhappy about them.

  And she needed to do so quickly and get it over with.

  “You look nice, Jake,” Alice said, already avoiding the confession she needed to make. “I like your new suit.”

  “Thank you. You look lovely, Alice. Makes me realize how much I’ve missed you.”

  There was that smile again that made Alice’s heart beat faster. She opened her mouth to confess her evening plans with Frank Baldwin and his family, but Jake picked up a package that had been placed on the sofa. He held the package out to her and smiled. “I brought you a little something from Boise,” he said.

  Alice clasped her bandaged hand to her chest. She was so surprised at Jake’s swank appearance and how he was showering her with gifts that for a few moments, she couldn’t speak. “Thank you,” she managed to utter. “This is so sweet of you.”

  Jake seemed to grow an inch or two at her words. His chest bulged under his suit jacket. His eyes glowed. “I’m sorry about your hand,” he said. “Your mother told me what happened.”

  “Please come and sit down,” Alice said, her heart still racing so fast, that she needed to sit down. After all her long lonely days of missing Jake, here he was; handsome, sweet, wonderful Jake, right in front of her. She sat down on the sofa and motioned for him to sit beside her. Her fingers shook, and her bandaged hand got in the way as she tried to undo the string around the package.

  “Would you like me to do that?” Jake asked.

  Alice held the package out to him, and when he took it, he held onto her hands for several moments. His touch sent shivers up her arms and gladdened her heart to the point of elation. How she wished she wasn’t going to ruin this sweet moment with her admission about spending the evening with Frank.

  When Jake opened the package and Alice saw the dark green suede gloves and matching broach, she burst into tears. Here Jake had come showering her with flowers and gifts and she was going to traipse off in a few hours with someone else. For this moment in time, she regretted every morning ride with Reed, and more than anything, she regretted her commitment to Frank and his family.

  Jake pulled a handkerchief from his suit pocket and held it out for her. He slid closer and placed his arm around her.

  “Thank you!” Alice whispered, as much for his tender gestures as for his gifts. She wanted him to keep his arm around her shoulders forever, no matter what she was about to confess. But why she was acting so weepy, she didn’t understand. “The gloves are beautiful and the broach exquisite. I love them both.”

  Alice dried her eyes with his handkerchief and sat up straight. Now was the time to confess her evening plans, but she still couldn’t bring herself to say the words. She wondered what her mother and sisters would think if they walked into the room with Jake sitting so close, but she didn’t want him to move away. She slipped one of the gloves onto her left hand, held it out in front of her, slowly turning her hand from front to back. A perfect fit. Then she picked up the broach with her injured hand and caressed it gently.

  They talked for several minutes with Alice continuing to wear the glove and hold the broach. She asked all kinds of questions about the big city and about Jake’s position on the newspaper. It was easy for Alice to think of questions because Jake seemed to love talking about his adventures. And with him so close, she wished this time could go on for hours.

  The longer they talked, the longer Alice put off telling him about her plans.

  Finally, Jake solved the problem of when to make her confession. “Are you planning to attend the dance tonight?” he asked. “I’d love to escort you.”

  “Uh . . . I am planning to attend,” Alice said. She rubbed her gloved hand across her mouth like she hoped to stop her next words. “I . . . I’m having dinner with the Baldwin family and Frank’s taking me to the dance.”

  Jake’s mouth opened and then shut. “Frank Baldwin, huh?”

  Alice nodded, her eyes downcast for a few moments before she looked up. “I’m so sorry, Jake. I would never have accepted his invitation if I’d known you were coming home this weekend. He asked me before I got your letter. I truly wish I could attend with you. If you come to the dance, I’ll save as many dances for you as I can. I promise.”

  Several moments passed before Jake spoke.

  “I’ll come to the dance, and I’ll take you up on that promise,” he finally said. His smile seemed rather forced, but he did smile, and his eyes looked into hers with a longing she had never seen before. After several more moments, he leaned forward and brushed her lips with his. “I came all this way just to dance with you, Alice.”

  His kiss was her complete undoing. All she wanted to do was stay with Jake. To dance with Jake. To experience his kiss again. All the sleepless hours of berating herself for her foolish plans caught up to her, and she was close to weeping again.

  Standing quickly, before she made a fool of herself, Alice walked over to a small round table near her mother’s wingback chair. “I . . . I’ve been reading Shakespeare’s Hamlet,” she said, her voice trembling as she picked up a small leather-bound book. She held the book to her chest trying to stop her heart from pounding and her hands from shaking. “It’s my mother’s book. I feel like I float into another time and place when I read it.”

  “May I read a few lines to you?”

  6

  Jake could barely hide his feelings of disappointment as he listened to Alice recite Hamlet. He wanted to be angry about her evening with Frank Baldwin, but as Alice stood before him, so lovely, so beautiful, so dramatic in her recitation, his anger subsided. It was all he could do to keep from jumping to his feet and sweeping her into his arms. He wanted to hold her close and feel he
r sweet lips again before he had to leave.

  More than anything, he wanted to marry her and take her back to Boise with him.

  After a short time, Alice stopped reading and closed the book, placing it back on the table. Both she and Jake glanced at the parlor clock. As much as he didn’t want to leave, Jake needed to allow her time to get ready for her evening. And he certainly did not want to be on the road back to Clover Creek when Frank Baldwin passed by on his way to the Gardner homestead.

  “That was beautiful,” he said, standing and taking her hands in his, being careful with her bandaged hand. “Thank you for sharing Hamlet with me. I hope we can read together another day. I’ve heard of Shakespeare, of course, but until today I’d never experienced his words.”

  “Perhaps tomorrow,” Alice said, her eyes hopeful.

  “Yes, tomorrow!” Jake’s disappointment lessened as he remembered that he’d been invited to dine with the Gardner family tomorrow. “I look forward to tomorrow.”

  Alice walked him to the door. “The second dance is yours,” she said, her hand on his arm. “And the fourth, and the sixth, and the eighth if you want them.”

  “I’m looking forward to them all.” Jake gave her good hand a gentle squeeze before he turned and hurried down the porch steps. All he could think about as he rode into town was that it was a good thing he had come this weekend and not waited a day longer. Dusty had been right all along. Jake needed to take action to keep Alice thinking of him. He needed to write to her every day and shower her with gifts to keep her mind on him and not that Baldwin or Browning guy. He wished with all his heart that there was some way to propose marriage and whisk Alice off to Boise with him. But he knew that was impossible unless something changed.

  As Jake continued down the road, he thought about the letters he would write and what gifts he might buy for Alice. He’d start by stopping at the mercantile and buy some peppermint sticks and candy wafers to take to her tomorrow. He smiled the rest of the way into town as he thought of the tender kiss they’d shared.