The Greatest Valentine

By James and Ellen Perry
Tullis Brown sat in his rocking chair in his and Sarah Brown’s bedroom watching the flames in his fireplace on this February 13, Valentine’s Eve.
It was a cold, windy night with heavy snow coming down. Tullis was a proud man nearing 80 years of age who married the prettiest girl from Redbud Hollow almost sixty years ago. Her maiden name was Sarah Loudon who came from a good family: Her father owned a good farm and a blacksmith shop in Redbud Hollow.
Redbud Hollow was two hollows west of Tullis and Sarah’s farm in Pleasant Valley bordering Catfish Creek. After their wedding at Briarhop Methodist Church in Redbud Hollow, Tullis took his beautiful bride to her new home he had built in Pleasant Valley.
Tullis cut timber, had it milled into lumber and built their home on the farm he had bought from his aging uncle, Tobe Brown. Tobe and his wife Lucy had no children. Lucy had died and Tobe went to live at the veteran’s home. Tobe had been a soldier in World War I and had been wounded in France.
Tullis, being a man, hadn’t put frills and fancy things in their new home, so Sarah immediately started sprucing up her new home. She made a list of things that she wanted and put Tullis in gear to get them. Tullis didn’t see the need for all of this stuff, but when Sarah looked into his eyes with her beautiful green eyes, he had no choice.
Over the following years Sarah turned that house into a warm beautiful home. Tullis was so proud of Sarah. The only thing he bragged about was his beloved Sarah. Tullis had courted Sarah for two years before asking her father for her hand.
They had gone to church socials, pie suppers and to Strothers General Store to eat ice cream and listen to the Grand Ole Opry on the radio on Saturday nights. Strothers had the only radio in his store in the area and he invited every customer to come on Saturday nights and enjoy the Grand Ole Opry, and he kept the store open until the Opry went off. He served hot chocolate and coffee at discounted prices.
Tullis worked hard and smart. He improved his farm by building a new barn, new fences, a new chicken house, pig pen, and damming up brooks that ran into Catfish Creek for ponds to hold water during dry spells. He bought a team of mules, a boar and two sows, chickens, a jersey milk cow, a bull and three whiteface Herefords to start a cattle herd.
Tullis and Sarah had their first child, a boy they named Troy born one year later. Then two years later Mary came and their last one, a boy they named Christopher, was born on Christmas Day one-and-a-half years later.
They now had a complete family, and this weighed heavy on Tullis’ mind. He wanted his kids to grow up right and be educated. Tullis had a sixth-grade education and Sarah had eight years.
Tullis knew his family needed spiritual education, also. So, he and Sarah started going to Briarhop Methodist for Sunday services which were held once a month by a traveling preacher. The boys were not happy with this but if they threw too much of a fit, Tullis, believing the scriptures, would not spare the rod. In other words, they would get a tail busting.
Tullis believed in discipline and was the man of his home. Sarah being in love with him supported him intensely. They raised three good children to adulthood.
Tullis worked hard on his farm. He also made good business decisions and got to be in good shape financially. He taught his boys to work and respect the land that God had given them to shepherd.
Tullis and Sarah were entering early middle life and still courted each other, taking their nearly grown children to church socials, pie suppers and to Strother’s General Store on Saturday nights to hear the Grand Ole Opry with their neighbors.
Tullis’ and Sarah’s hair had started to grey along the edges and Tullis noticed that Sarah and himself had started to slow down a bit. Even though they were starting to age, they still took walks on the farm and on June nights during the full moon they would hold each other and talk until the morning came.
The two oldest, Troy and Mary, were getting ready to spread their wings and leave home. Troy enlisted in the Air Force and Mary was being sparked by Jobe Russell, who came from Trout Corner. His father had opened a seed, feed, and hardware store there a few years ago. Mary and Jobe married the next summer, and he went to work for his father in his business. Christopher was the only one left at home. He told Tullis he wanted to stay, build a house on their farm, find a wife, and raise his family there. Three years later Chris, as he was called, married a fine young girl named Maggie McDill, who had met at Briarhop Methodist Church. Everyone called her M&M.
Time marches on. All their children had kids of their own. Tullis had given most of the responsibility of the farm to Chris as Tullis was now coming into old age. Tullis and Sarah had their own Crosby Radio and Chris had bought a tractor, a pickup truck and a 1948 Hudson car.
The county had built a new road up Pleasant Valley. Tullis wasn’t too sure about that tractor. Chris had a new mule team and Tullis loved to cultivate the garden with a mule. He was still in mighty good shape for a man of his age and Sarah still had a good figure and those beautiful green eyes. Age, though, had taken a toll on both, so there was no closeness on June moonlight nights.
Tullis is sitting in his rocking chair on Valentine Eve watching the fire and the snow blowing by the bedroom window. He awakens in bed. It’s morning. He gets up and stokes up the fireplace to warm the room; looks out the window and there’s at least a foot of snow. Tullis sits back in his rocking chair and suddenly remembers last night’s dream.
Sarah wakes up, gets out of bed, comes over and kisses Tullis on his cheek. She looks at Tullis lovingly with those green eyes and says, “Tullis I had the best dream of my life last night.” Tullis told Sarah, “I had my best dream last night, also.”
Tullis said, “Sarah tell me about your dream first.” Sarah said, “Tullis, I dreamed that I was awakened by a brilliant light, looked over and you were 20 years old. You were awakened, also looked at me and tears started down your face.
“You told me that I looked the same as when we married. Then you took me in your arms, kissed me and said let’s keep this night forever. The storm cleared at midnight and the full moon came out. We lay together in each other’s arms until the early morning.”
Tullis said, “Sarah, that’s the same dream that I had. Today is Valentine’s Day. What a beautiful Valentine’s Day present.”