The role of Tempie, the free Black woman who lives alone in her own

Setauket home, was very admirably played by Dhonna Goodale. Her

lovely voice set the mood and tone as she sang or hummed three or four

spirituals. This character is the most didactic, explaining to the audience,

for example the hidden meanings in the various quilt designs. She held up

several patchwork quilts and explained how the "Geese Flying" pattern

could tell a fugitive slave which direction to travel or how the "Log

Cabin" pattern with a red circle inside represented a safe house on the

Underground Railroad. From Tempe we learn about the Fugitive Slave

Law as well as the sense of solidarity that existed between the enslaved

people in the South and the no longer enslaved in the North. Her long

sleeved black silk dress topped with a modest lace collar and calm

demeanor spoke volumes about the relative security and class position of

Northern Free Blacks, especially when contrasted to the soiled, sack-like

frock and desperate air of Dorcas.