l saplings.

Before the services began many of the people had gathered inside the
church, which was illuminated with a half dozen tallow candles that
tried their best to burn, but seemed discouraged by the attempt.
Outside men collected in groups and talked in low, earnest tones. Do
you ask what was the subject of their conversation? It was about the
sermon to be preached that night by Jasper Very.

A few days before a family feud in this neighborhood had broken out
afresh. It was the noted feud between the Wiles and Barker families.
This estrangement had occurred a quarter of a century before. It began
by some cattle of a former Wiles getting into the field of a settler
named Barker. Barker told Wiles to keep his live stock out of his land,
and Wiles replied by demanding that Barker should repair his rail
fences and mind his gates. Wiles was careless about his cattle and
Barker about his fences. So one night a lot of Wiles' cattle got into a
fine field of growing corn belonging to Barker, and ate as long as they
could chew the juicy food and trampled down the green stalks with
perfect indifference as to ownership. Early the next morning Barker saw
the devastation and the causes thereof. He walked over to Wiles'
plantation, and the two men quarreled, fought, and almost killed each
other.

This was the beginning of that celebrated Wiles-Barker feud which has
soiled the annals of that part of Kentucky. Its course was marked by
murders, assassinations, wounds, burning of buildings, and every injury
which cunning could devise and hate execute.

For a full year before this winter, by an unspoken agreement, the two
factions had ceased to quarrel. Violence had exhausted itself, for the
worst of men cannot give loose rein to their passions all the time.
But, though the wild beast of hatred and revenge was quiet, he was
neither dead nor changed into a lamb; he was really nursing and
strengthening his powers for more savage attacks. The occasion which
made him crouch, show his teeth, and leap forward with sudden and
terrible fury was a barn-raising on a settler's farm not far from
Costello's tavern. The Wiles and Barker families were both well
represented by young and middle-aged men. According to the custom of
the time, whisky was freely tendered to the workers and as freely
received.

All went well until late in the afternoon when the framework of the
barn had been put in place. The settlers had drunk unusual quantities