Editing Louisa May Alcott (section)

=== Lulu Nieriker ===
Louisa nursed her mother Abigail, who was dying, in 1877 while writing ''[[Under the Lilacs]]'' (1878).<ref>{{harvnb|Reisen|2009|pp=262–263}}; {{harvnb|Meigs|1968|pp=189, 193}}</ref> Louisa also became ill and close to dying, so the family moved in with Anna Alcott Pratt, who had recently purchased Thoreau's house with Louisa's financial support.<ref>{{Harvnb|Delamar|1990|pp=116–117}}; {{Harvnb|Reisen|2009|p=259}}; {{harvnb|Saxton|1995|pp=341–343}}</ref> After Abigail's death in November,{{Sfn|Saxton|1995|pp=343–344}} Louisa and Bronson permanently moved into Anna's house.{{Sfn|Delamar|1990|p=117}} Her sister May was living in London at the time and married [[Abigail May Alcott Nieriker#Career|Ernest Nieriker]] four months later.<ref>{{harvnb|Reisen|2009|pp=264–265}}; {{harvnb|Meigs|1968|p=189}}; {{Harvnb|Elbert|1987|p=252}}</ref> May became pregnant and was due to deliver her child near the end of 1879. Though Louisa wanted to travel to Paris to see May in time for the delivery, she decided against it because her health was poor.<ref>{{harvnb|Reisen|2009|pp=272–273}}; {{harvnb|Cheney|1889|p=323}}; {{harvnb|Saxton|1995|p=353}}</ref> On December 29 May died from complications developed after childbirth, and in September 1880 Louisa assumed the care of her niece, Lulu, who was named after her.<ref>{{harvnb|Stern|1999}}; {{harvnb|Stern|2000|p=40}}; {{harvnb|Reisen|2009|pp=275–276}}</ref> Nieriker sent the news to Emerson and asked him to share it with Bronson and his daughters. Only Louisa was at home when Emerson arrived; she guessed the news before he told her and shared it with Bronson and Anna after he left.<ref>{{Harvnb|Delamar|1990|p=122}}</ref> During the grief that followed May's death, Louisa and her father Bronson coped by writing poetry.<ref>{{harvnb|Delamar|1990|p=122}}</ref> In a letter to her friend Maria S. Porter, Louisa wrote, "Of all the griefs in my life, and I have had many, this is the bitterest."{{Sfn|Porter in Shealy|2005|p=71}} It was at this time that she completed ''[[Jack and Jill: A Village Story]]'' (1880).{{Sfn|Meigs|1968|p=193}}

Louisa sometimes hired a nanny when her poor health made it difficult to care for Lulu.<ref>{{Harvnb|Delamar|1990|p=125}} {{Harvnb|MacDonald|1983|p=8}}; {{harvnb|Saxton|1995|pp=367–368}}</ref> While raising Lulu, she published few works.{{Sfn|Reisen|2009|p=279}} Among her published works at this time are the volumes of ''Lulu's Library'' (1886–1889), collections of stories written for her niece Lulu.{{Sfn|Anderson|1995|p=106}} When Bronson suffered a stroke in 1882, Louisa became his caretaker.<ref>{{harvnb|Meigs|1968|p=192}}</ref> In the years that followed she alternated between living in Concord, Boston, and [[Dartmouth, Massachusetts|Nonquitt]].{{Sfn|Anderson|1995|p=108}} In June 1884 Louisa sold Orchard House, which the family was no longer living in.{{Sfn|Reisen|2009|p=286}}