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most famous resident, Harper Lee—the “golden goose,” some residents call her. 22
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    Yet Nelle’s secluded life and decades-long anonymity continue to exert a fascination for newspaper editors and other media people looking for a good story. Feature stories headlined “What Ever Happened to Harper Lee?” crop up several times a year. As Reverend Butts rightly observed, “Whether she intended to or not, she created a mystique when she withdrew from the public eye like that.” 23
    Mostly the reporters who visit Monroeville get a feel for the town and interview a handful of people who knew Nelle. Phone interviews with her are impossible because Alice, still in the role of her sister’s manager, politely turns down requests.
    On the other hand, some encounters with Nelle have been memorable when pilgrims to Monroeville have behaved with a modicum of respect. Reporter Kathy Kemp took a chance one evening in 1997 and rang the doorbell of the Lees’ home. 24 Nelle opened the door.
    She was not expecting company. Barefoot, white hair uncombed, the 71 -year-old woman answered the doorbell wearing a long white pajama top and a scowl.
    â€œWhat is it?” Harper Lee wanted to know.
    Staring at her through the storm door were a reporter and a photographer from Birmingham. Miss Lee has a famous dislike for reporters and photographers. We’d been warned, repeatedly, by folks all over town, “Don’t even think of trying to do an interview.”
    Instead, we thrust forth a copy of “To Kill A Mockingbird” and asked for her autograph.
    â€œGood gosh,” Miss Lee exclaimed, a look of disgust on her face. “It’s a little late for this sort of thing, isn’t it?”
    It wasn’t yet 6 p.m. on a balmy Tuesday. Folks on her street in the small southwestern Alabama town of Monroeville were just coming home from work. Televisions blared through open windows. Schoolchildren played in front yards.
    We apologized.
    â€œJust a minute then,” she snapped before disappearing into the house. Seconds later, she was back with her fine-point pen and an even more pointed lecture. “I hope you’re more polite to other people,” she said as she opened the book to the title page.
    â€œBest wishes, Harper Lee,” she wrote in a neat, modest script.
    She handed back the volume. “Next time try to be more thoughtful.”
    â€œThank you,” we said, frankly terrified. And for the first time since opening the door, Harper Lee smiled. In a voice full of warmth and good cheer, she replied, “You’re quite welcome.”
    The best kind of interaction tends to occur when Nelle is free to be spontaneous. Then her warmth and generosity, known mainly to close friends and family, become evident.

    Nelle applauds as the winner of a To Kill a Mockingbird high school essay contest is announced on January 23, 2004, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (AP Photo)

    At the May 2006 University of Notre Dame commencement, Nelle received an honorary degree. Students held up copies of To Kill a Mockingbird provided by the university. (AP Photo)
    â€œOne day many years ago when she was signing books at The Magnolia Cottage, a specialty shop in Monroeville,” said Mary Tomlinson,
    I was walking in as she was walking out. I told her who I was and that I played volleyball with her at Huntingdon. I told her my name, knowing that she would probably not remember this fledgling freshman. I told her I hoped I could get an autographed copy of her book for my granddaughter. She smiled, patted my hand and said, “Mary, I’m sorry, I actually do not remember you.” Then she added, “But I’ll be happy to sign your granddaughter’s book.” She waited until I could go inside and purchase it for her signature and a short note. She couldn’t have been more tactful or genuine. 25
    And she evinces a special affection for