The Significance of Slemmons' Money

"Before morning, youth triumphed and Missie exulted. But the next day, as she joyfully made up their bed, beneath her pillow she found the piece of money with the bit of chain attached.

Alone to herself, she looked at the thing with loathing, but look she must. She took it into her hands with trembling and saw first thing that it was no gold piece. It was a gilded half dollar."

At this point in the story, Missie feels foolish for sleeping with Slemmons for his money when his money was fake all along. Its curious that, after Missie and Joe each have a clear understanding that the money was fake, things end happily ever after as far as the reader can tell. Joe seems contented to find that his wife slept with a man who was rich in counterfeit money instead of real money. This suggests that Joe is less worried about the fidelity (or prostitution, essentially) of his wife than he is about his financial standing compared to the man who slept with his wife.

After researching the story a bit, I learned that, to a certain extent, it was a comment on America's abandonment of the gold standard, but I believe there is the significance of Slemmons' money apart from being a critique on America's currency. What difference does the legitimacy of Slemmons' money make in the situation? Why do Missie and Joe both seem to feel more contented knowing that it is counterfeit?