So the Secretary made the purchase and the distribution.

The knives cost three dollars apiece.

There was one too many, and the Secretary gave it to the Clerk of the House of Representatives.

The United States said the Clerk of the House was not a "member" of the legislature, and took that three dollars out of the Secretary's salary, as usual.
White men charged three or four dollars a "load" for sawing up stove-wood.

The Secretary was sagacious enough to know that the United States would never pay any such price as that; so he got an Indian to saw up a load of office wood at one dollar and a half.