why does ruth go back to suffolk? What does she admit about how her mother was treated "by today's standards"?

Ruth returned because her father called to tell her that her mother was sick, and he needed Ruth to help in the store. He never mentioned that he was having an affair. As far as today's standards, if Tateh was having an affair today, Mameh would probably have left him. In the time this story took place, that would never have happened. Tateh was the one who looked to divorce as the answer.