"His Second Wife" by Ernest Poole
Ethel, at the age of twenty-two, is forced by the death of her father to move from a small town southern Ohio environment to New York City to live with sister Amy and her husband Joe. Though the sisters clash on their different views of wealth and idealism and how to attain them, the oppressiveness of the city makes the accomplishment of either goal difficult. Soon Ethel finds herself married—to a recently widowed man. Being a second wife brings enough problems that Ethel must deal with, but soon many other struggles come crashing down on her.