The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-12-24

"I just love dolls" said Miss Thurston presently, as she held before my delight ed eyes a perfect beauty-a French Doll.
 to which she was putting just the last
 finishing touches in the sartorial line,
 and have them named for me in many of the parts I've played. This one is Mary
 Bishop in my present play. It started this way:. When I was doing Polly Prim- rose, you remember, with the hoopskirts and the frills and furbelows and curls, some one sent me a doll that looked like me, they said. l made an exact replica
 of the costume that I wore as Polly
 Primrose, and every stitch of 1t was made
 with my own fingers. I dearly love to sew and 1 took such pains with dressing
 tha. doll, and oh. how 1 loved heri She was a darling Then after that l dressed doll like Babbie, in the Scotch tarleton
 blouse and the quaint little berries in her
 han, and the wild Gypsy coloring and beauty of Lady Babbie, and she was love- ly. Every year l send to the Home for Crippled Children in New York some dolls. It'3 a Christmas custom that is very sweet and dear to me. I've never gotten over my love for dolls. and 1 don't sup pose I ever will. 1 like rag dolls as well as I do the finest French dolls, and one of the oldest dolls I ever owned was the one that was named for me and dressed in the oil cloth coat and hat, like the role in my play, The Girl From Out Yonder.' l loved that doll devotedly.''
 There are always so many things to tall to Miss Thurston about.
 One thing that interests me particularly about her is the way she makes of her seil d spianRier of good humor I've never seen her fail to carry her crowd with her, and when l commented
 upon this fact and asked her if the
 secret of it was always being in good humor herself, in an exuberant frame of
 mind. she laughingly replied:
 T had funny experience once when
 was playing Sweet Clover It was way out in the west, and after a Matinee per formance a dear old lady came to my dressing room and asked permission to speak with me. She introduced herself to me and said:
 "'When you repeated the lines in your play as to where you should go, to whom you should turn, l just wanted to ask you to come right to me and let me put my arms around you. I felt so close to you.
 Wasn't that sweet compliment? I've | learned that it isn't matter of casual | magnetism or good humor transference, 1 bus the attitude of ones audience, that | has much to do with those things. l adore playing to Birmingham audiences, | because they are always so sweet and cor | dial and lovely to me. 1 think the glad est Christmas gift that I could have was l just to be in Birmingham on Christmas Day"
 And is the Christmas shopping all | done?" l asked, as was about to leave. ''or are you an advocate of the Shop Early motto?"
 l Isn't it dreadful. but honestly" little | Miss Thurston laughed-a merry tinkly. l little laugh-"but I hadn't done an atom | of shopping before I got to Birming- ham, I was up bright and early before l you came, and padded about in the rain
 all morning getting my things together,
 and I've got td shop all Christmas Eve! It will be busy time for me, but what | else could you expect of an actress? We are always busy."