The Preliminaries, and Other Stories

"The Preliminaries, and Other Stories" by Cornelia A. P. Comer, is a set of stories from the early 1900s that studies love, family issues, and what people want in life, often by looking at how people deal with each other. The first story tells of Oliver Pickersgill, who loves Ruth Lannithorne, whose father is in jail for stealing money, and how they deal with their unlike families. When the collection starts, we get to see Oliver's love for Ruth and how much she cares for her convict father, which makes things difficult for their relationship. Oliver wants to marry Ruth, but she wants him to honor and respect her father first; Oliver learns of all the problems and struggles that Ruth's mom goes through, and faces hard social problems that complicate their relationship. This interesting start takes everyone to a more in-depth look into Oliver and Ruth's emotional difficulties as they face love, loyalty, and doing what society wants them to do.