Bisland shivered. A chilly wind swirled over the dark cobblestone alley, flicking her skirts nearly to her knees.   She clutched her hat to keep the sudden gust from snatching it. Several buildings ahead, she saw Bly, silhouetted in the eerie light of the gas lamp. It was dim, but she could see Bly hunker down against the cold blast, reaching with both hands to protect her hat and white wig.Bisland wondered why on earth Bly was disguised as an overweight matron.   What story could she possibly hope to break in this dangerous part of town?   She saw Bly suddenly jolt to a stop in the middle of the alley, then wheel around to look behind her. Just in time, Bisland darted into the inky shadows of a recessed doorway.Holding her breath, she shrank like a naughty child who feared getting caught.   She pressed against the freezing stone wall, her heart pounding in her ears. Had Bly sensed that she was being followed?Every fiber of Bisland’s being told her to turn and run back to her elegant, uptown flat. Home. She knew that’s where she belonged, particularly at this time of night. But she also knew that she had to find out what story Bly was after in this dark alley. Her life depended on it. Well, maybe her life didn’t depend on it, but the fate of her essay on the pottery of the T’ang Dynasty certainly did. If she didn’t stop Bly, her editor would not print her brilliant article. If that happened, it felt like her life would be over.Ever so slowly, Bisland mustered the courage to peer around the wall. She saw Bly walk deeper into the alley.   Bly stopped and gazed up at a massive window on the second floor of the decrepit building in front of her. Bisland guessed this was the address for which Bly had been hunting.From her hiding spot, Bisland followed Bly’s line of sight to the window. At that very moment, a blinding flash bathed the entire alley in a spectacular flash of brilliant purple light. An instant later, a massive bolt of lightning crackled across the window – from inside the room on the second floor!Bisland covered her mouth with both hands to silence her own scream.   She wanted to run, but her feet felt like iron weights.   She saw that Bly too, stood paralyzed in the middle of the alley. Both women remained fixated on the window when a second bolt streaked through the room and again lit the alley.Bly lurched backwards, then turned to run away. Bisland pulled back into her hiding spot, out of Bly’s sight. A moment later, when she didn’t hear Bly run out of the alley, she peered around the wall and saw Bly paused in the alley, with her back still to the window. An instant later, Bly wheeled around and faced the window again. She squared her shoulders, heaved a deep breath, then marched right up to the door beneath the window and knocked on it!Still trembling, Bisland saw a tall man with an intense look on his face open the door.   He and Bly exchanged a few words. He looked suspiciously up and down the alley, then he took Bly’s arm, pulled her through the door and slammed it behind them.Bisland skulked out of her hiding place. Her face was frozen in fear. She intended to run, but she was too terrified to move in either direction. 

PENNSYLVANIA COUNTRYSIDE – 1887

RACING NELLIE BLY-FAMOUS WOMEN IN HISTORY

THE GREATEST STORY OF BLY’S CAREER