A few minutes afterward, Hope said something to Caroline, who started some new chords. She squealed loudly above the noise of the motor, “We’ll sing ‘Westlake Forever.’ Sidney, you take the solo.”
“All right,” called Sidney across a few girls. The guitar twanged; and the ukes gave a few opening strains, then were silent. Sidney began to sing, in a rich contralto that showed a little training in the careful enunciation of words and free tones.
Shirley gasped and was silent. That was the reason Hope asked Sidney to sing. She had heard Shirley’s voice and wondered. It was scarcely kind of Hope. Yes, perhaps it was, to show Shirley the similarity in voices and leave it to her to decide about whether she should reveal this phase of likeness or not.
“You can get the chorus to this, Shirley,” Madge stopped at the end of the first chorus to say.
“I’m thinking that I will not sing any more today,” said Shirley, smiling.
Madge reached over and patted her hand. “I noticed. I think that you have had some training, too.”
“A little from my mother, just so I’ll not sing in a way to spoil my voice.”
“Sidney began lessons here last year. She’s going on in Chicago when she gets a little older. Her parents are going to give her all of that sort of thing that she wants. So Cad says.”
But the girls were all singing again, Sidney having refused to do anymore solo work against wind, waves and the engine. Shirley hummed a little. That would let Hope know that she had not minded the revelation.
They were far out upon Lake Michigan to all appearances when lunchtime came. But after they were all well fortified against future contingencies by a variety of sandwiches, potato chips, pickles and similar articles of a picnic lunch, Shirley saw that land was in sight. They made for a port which proved to be Kenosha, on the Wisconsin shore. There they spent a few hours, Shirley, to her surprise, in the same group with Sidney Thorne. The girls had been assigned to certain teachers, of whom there were a number out today. Madge said that the ride was popular with the teachers. Two of them wanted to go to the same shops and joined forces, hence the combination.