Fill in the blank word: LINGER
Explanation: "Linger" means to remain or stay for a longer amount of time. Your statement is in regard to Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad, which helped slaves escape to safety. When helping slaves along the routes from one hiding place to another, Harriet had to make sure that they didn't linger too long in any one place.
The assignment you're working with, I presume, comes from Ann Petry's biography article: Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad
Harriet Tubman was an escaped slave. who had been held in slavery in Maryland. She escaped to Philadelphia in 1849 ... but then went back to rescue her family and help them to freedom. Then she helped extended family members, and eventually was helping many, many slaves to freedom on what became known as the "Underground Railroad" -- a secret network of routes from one safe house to another that aided slaves in their escape.