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This book was printed from 
 type in the City of L,os Angeles 
 in California and the number 
 printed was 1,000, after which 
 the type was distributed. The 
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Copyright, 1905, 
 
 by Dolores Cortez. 
 
 (All rights reserved.) 
 
 Out Wtst Co. Print. 
 
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INTRODUCTORY NOTE 
 
 Mary of Magdala is an inspiration 
 of my own. Although the Bible gives 
 | bnt slight mention of this repented 
 sinner, its accounts being rather 
 allegorical, there is truth for the 
 foundation of every myth. Let Mary 
 of Magdala have been the daughter of 
 the Davids, a person who existed in 
 flesh and blood, or merely a principle, 
 I set forth the story representing her 
 as a beautiful oriental creature with 
 her abundant animal spirits misguided 
 and untamed, whom one glance from 
 the Divine Nazarene had the power to 
 transform and bring into harmony with 
 divine law. 
 
 II 
 
I put this tale before the world as an 
 example to the Magdalenes of to-day, 
 being an introduction to a story of 
 greater length and its sequel, entitled : 
 " A Child of the Slums, or a Magdalene 
 of To-day," which is ready for publica- 
 tion. 
 
An Interpretation 
 
 MARY OF MAGDALA, OR THE 
 MAGDALENE OF OLD 
 
 HE sun was setting over 
 Jerusalem. Jetting 
 fejranuug? fountains were sending 
 their streams of water 
 to the skies and falling 
 and spreading in drops of topaz, sap- 
 phire and ruby, like tears of angels 
 
 
 weeping over the sinful city. The ter- 
 raced gardens on the palace roofs ; 
 the scent of the orange and lemon 
 trees bordering the walks ; the great 
 scarlet blooms of the centennial lotus ; 
 the dark green of the cedars of Leba- 
 non, all, all, was breathing with sens- 
 uous life. The simple shepherds were 
 
 15 
 
Mary of Magdala, or 
 
 defiled by their contact with the 
 exquisite Greek and the luxurious 
 Roman. 
 
 The palace of the Davids stood 
 on a rising ground at the edge of 
 the city, prominent in its magnificence. 
 Slaves were arranging cushions under 
 the drooping acacias, preparatory to 
 the coming of their mistress, who this 
 moment appeared walking nonchalant- 
 ly through the garden attended by a 
 train of servants. She reached the 
 cushions and fell with indolent grace 
 among them, drooping her heavy eye- 
 lids like a bacchante after the orgy. 
 Little knaves, like bronze Cupids, 
 standing aside of the golden pedestals 
 here and there, upholding cups of 
 
 16 
 
The Magdalene of Old 
 
 incense, were sending perfnmes in the 
 air with little jewelled rods. Graceful 
 white, half-naked slave girls were 
 surrounding their mistress like a 
 frame, fanning her and waiting to obey 
 her slightest wish. Near by, a group 
 of fair maidens under a palm tree, half 
 hidden by flowers, were singing 
 snatches of love songs in low, mellow 
 tones, accompanied by their stringed 
 instruments love songs to make the 
 very roses blush. 
 
 The beauty among the cushions fell 
 into a dreamy reverie and all became 
 silent. Miriam, her confidante, at 
 length suddenly, yet quietly, approach- 
 ed her and whispered : 
 
 " Hark ! The music ! We must 
 
Mary of Magdala, or 
 
 Haste to the feast. They are waiting." 
 
 A faint melody of harps and lyres 
 was borne to them on the wings of the 
 breezes from the distance. 
 
 The splendid creature to whom these 
 words were addressed, awoke from her 
 reverie and turned her shapely head 
 indolently toward the sound. 
 
 " Let them wait," she replied 
 languidly, " the waiting will fill them 
 with stronger desires." 
 
 " Miriam," she went on, " tell Yuba 
 to dress my hair high; its weight is 
 too much over my shoulders this 
 evening. I dreamed last night that 
 invisible hands had piled it on my head 
 in a pyramid" and she raised herself 
 into a sitting posture. 
 
 18 
 
The Magdalene of Old 
 
 Yuba obeyed silently and the great 
 mass of hair was arranged on the head 
 of her mistress like a tower of gold, 
 held np by two jewelled daggers. 
 
 A sound of tramping feet on the 
 street below startled her 
 
 "What is it?" she asked of her 
 confidante. 
 
 The latter went over to the railing 
 that snrrounded the garden and looked 
 down. 
 
 " It is that fanatic whom they call the 
 Nazarene and his crowd of beggars," 
 she replied, turning to her mistress. 
 
 "The Nazarene?" reiterated the 
 voluptnons woman. " The Nazarene? 
 It is said that he is the handsomest 
 being God ever created and the only 
 
 19 
 
Mary of Magdala, or 
 
 man who has never given a thought to 
 women. I want to see him/' 
 
 She rose in all the glory of her 
 beauty and moved with a slow, un- 
 dulating motion toward the terrace 
 railing. Though of middle stature, 
 she had a magnificent presence and 
 the voluptuous curves of her form were 
 disclosing themselves through the 
 draperies < of her rich garment of 
 damask, seal and gold, lined with the 
 palest blue and held together with 
 clasps studded with precious stones. 
 The rosy pink of her dainty feet and 
 nails were gleaming in their elegant 
 sandals. Her jewelled anklets glit- 
 tered, but her arms and fingers wore 
 no circlets, as ornaments would have 
 
 20 
 
The Magdalene of Old 
 
 marred their dimpled porportions. 
 Reaching the terrace railing, she 
 looked into the multidude below and 
 discovered the man in his loose robes 
 of pure white, evidently the leader and 
 the person called the Nazarene. 
 
 " Miriam! See, the Nazarene! He 
 is glorious ! His eye, his hair, his 
 nose, his lips, his whole bearing is per- 
 fection ! He is the king of the uni- 
 verse! I want to go to him, to bring 
 him to my feet, to take him with 
 me in triumph to the feast! Who 
 has ever resisted Mary of Magdala ? " 
 
 Her face was a living flame. With 
 her fine, delicate nostrils dilating, her 
 sensual, scarlet lips quivering and 
 showing her small, even, white teeth ; 
 
 21 
 
Mary of Magdala, or 
 
 her low brow even her shell-like ears 
 pulsing and throbbing with life, she 
 was a woman of fire incarnated. Her 
 shapely throat palpitated with passion- 
 ate thirst and her voluptuous bosom 
 heaved with inward emotion, endeavor- 
 ing to free itself of the heavy garments 
 that clung about it. Her alabaster 
 flesh was sweet and fresh as a child's 
 and was exuding perfume that drew 
 men involuntarily as the rich, 
 fragrant nectar of a beautiful flower 
 draws a bee. She ordered some of her 
 slaves to follow her and descended the 
 imposing marble steps of the palace 
 with the vigorous, graceful, undulating 
 movements of a young panther. When 
 
 22 
 
The Magdalene of Old 
 
 she reached the street, angry shouts 
 arose from the multitude. 
 
 " Mary of Magdala ! The harlot of 
 Jerusalem ! " 
 
 The Nazarene turned his head in 
 the direction of this commotion to find 
 what caused it. 
 
 "I will conquer him," whispered 
 Mary of Magdala to Miriam exultingly. 
 " He looked at me." 
 
 The crowd grew more indignant at 
 the boldness of the sinner in following 
 their beloved teacher, when the 
 Nazarene turned to her again. 
 
 " He is mine ! I shall indeed take 
 him with me as a trophy to the feast. 
 The fires of love shall burn forever. 
 Mary of Magdala is not a vampire ; she 
 
 23 
 
Mary of Magdala, or 
 
 feeds, she increases the vital forces of 
 men. He shall know me even more 
 fully than any other has known " and 
 she grasped Miriam by the hand and 
 appeared like a splendid, young feline 
 aroused. 
 
 " Stone her ! " shouted a man in the 
 crowd. 
 
 A look of reproach from the 
 Nazarene rebuked and calmed the 
 indignation of the multitude. He 
 passed onward a few paces when 
 his divine glance once more rested on 
 the magnificent, public sinner. 
 
 The latter' s step faltered and she 
 trembled she knew not why. She 
 could not endure the light that shone 
 from this wonderful being's eyes, a 
 
The Magdalene of Old 
 
 light of celestial brightness and that 
 had in it the mysteries of the Infinite. 
 She felt humbled and ashamed. Her 
 eyes fell and saw her bare shoulders 
 and half-nude body. For the first time 
 in her thirty years, she blushed. 
 Quickly she seized the jewelled 
 daggers that held together her hair, 
 threw them from her and the mass 
 fell about her like a mantle of gold 
 and covered her nakedness. She took 
 a few steps forward and threw herself 
 at the feet of the Nazarene, hard, re- 
 morseful sobs convulsing her frame. 
 Her shame, her agony, her intense 
 reverence for the being before her, 
 swept over her like a storm. The re- 
 
Mary of Magdala 
 
 vulsion of feeling was beyond language. 
 She could only weep. 
 
 With pitying gentleness the 
 Nazarene raised her from the ground. 
 
 ! u Go, and sin no more." 
 The multitude stood amazed. The 
 harlot of Jerusalem was transfigured. 
 A pure, serene brightness was reflected 
 upon her and she stood like a seraph 
 inspired. Her soul had awakened. 
 
 26 
 
UNIVERSITY OP CALIFORNIA 
 LIBRARY 
 
 Due two weeks after date. 
 Fttf 19" 
 
 NOV 2 9 1985 
 
 IRK MR 14 1988 
 'JAN 2 2 
 
 30w-7,'12 
 
VB I3I9CJ 
 
 GENERAL LIBRARY- (|.C. BERKELEY