She sewed them together , and wore it all the time . '' `` How funny ! was she your grandmother ? '' `` Never had any . She was a queer old woman , and lived alone in a little tumble-down house with nineteen cats . Folks called her a witch , but she was n't , though she looked like an old rag-bag . She was real kind to me when I lived in that place , and used to let me get warm at her fire when the folks at the poorhouse were hard on me . '' `` Did you live in a poorhouse ? '' `` A little while . Never mind that I did n't mean to speak of it ; '' and Dan stopped short in his unusual fit of communicativeness . `` Tell about the cats , please , '' said Demi , feeling that he had asked an unpleasant question , and sorry for it . `` Nothing to tell ; only she had a lot of 'em , and kept 'em in a barrel nights ; and I used to go and tip over the barrel sometimes , and let 'em out all over the house , and then she 'd scold , and chase 'em and put 'em in again , spitting and yowling like fury . '' `` Was she good to them ? '' asked Demi , with a hearty child 's laugh , pleasant to hear . `` Guess she was . Poor old soul ! she took in all the lost and sick cats in the town ; and when anybody wanted one they went to Marm Webber , and she let 'em pick any kind and color they wanted , and only asked ninepence , she was glad to have her pussies get a good home . '' `` I should like to see Marm Webber . Could I , if I went to that place ? '' `` She 's dead .
All my folks are , '' said XXXXX , briefly .
Dan Demi Marm communicativeness fire nights ninepence poorhouse pussies rag-bag