Marie Curie Young Scientist

CHAPTER ONE THE GOLD-LEAF ELECTROSCOPE In the summer of 1872 in the city of Warsaw, Poland, four of the Sklodovskichildren were playing "Geography" with their father. They lived onNovolipki Street, on the ground floor of the boys' high school where Mr.Sklodovski was assistant director of the school. The four beds in the children's room were pushed into the corners, leavingspace on the floor for the continent of Europe. Jozef, Bronislava, Helena,and Maria were busy outlining the countries with colored wooden blocks.Their father, Vladislav, moved back and forth among them to oversee thework and give suggestions. He was a short man of about forty, plump butquick-moving. He had a brown beard and he was dressed neatly in a darksuit. Mr. Sklodovski and his children had already marked out the countryin the middle, Poland, with bright red blocks. Red was the color of blood,of life, of courage -- and, of course, the red-and-white Polish flag. "Bring me more black, Manya," commanded Jozef. Jozio, as Jozef was called,was the only boy in the family and the second oldest. Manya was thenickname of Maria, the youngest. She hurried "east" with all the blackblocks that would fit in her apron. "Black for Russia, to match their hearts," chanted Bronislava. She was thethird oldest, nicknamed Bronia. Their father was just as caught up in the game as the children were. Butat Bronia's remark, he said, "Stop, all of you." His serious tone of voicemade them turn immediately toward his broad, kind face. "Bronia," Mr. Sklodovski went on, "you must be careful what you say." Helooked around the room, holding each child's eyes for a moment. "We mustall be careful what we say." "Yes, Papa," said Bronia. The children glanced toward the wall thatseparated their apartment from Director Ivanov's. The school's Russiandirector lived just next door. "Yes, Papa -- but it's Saturday, a safe day," protested Jozio. "DirectorIvanov is away from the school, and all the students are home for theweekend. There's no one here but us." "Still," Vladislav Sklodovski told his children, "we can't afford to getinto the habit of making such remarks. The next thing you know, whenyou're walking along the street with a friend, a careless joke will slipout -- and a Russian policeman will be listening. He'll grab you" -- heseized Jozio's arm -- "and question you: 'Who is your father?' TheRussians will think you learn such disrespect from me. I'll be fired frommy job. We'll have no place to live. Perhaps they'll send me to prison." "I'm sorry, Papa," said Bronia with tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Papa," echoed Helena, nicknamed Hela. "Yes, I see, Papa," said Jozio. "I'm sorry." "I'm sorry too," said four-year-old Manya loyally. The other children laughed. Their father smiled and patted her curlyhead. But he said, "Even Manya is not too young to learn to be careful." The serious mood passed, and they went back to the game. "Green blocks,Manya," called Bronia. She was working on the outline of Austria, to thesouthwest of Poland. Green as the grass in the country, where theSklodovskis stayed with their relatives in the summer. "And yellow here, Manya," ordered Hela. Hela, the second youngest,couldn't outline Prussia, northwest of Poland, without Bronia's help.But she still had the right to tell Manya, the youngest, what to do. "Blue blocks, Manya," said Jozio. He'd quickly finished Russia. Now theirfather was showing him where to lay out the Vistula River, which ranthrough the city of Warsaw. Blue blocks also outlined the Baltic Sea, onthe northern edge of Poland. As the sisters and brother worked on their map, music sounded fromanother room. Their mother, Bronislava Sklodovska, was playing Chopin onthe piano. They heard forGormley, Beatrice is the author of 'Marie Curie Young Scientist', published 2007 under ISBN 9781416915454 and ISBN 1416915451.