The Snails by Patricia Highsmith

I received my June, 1967 issue of The Saturday Evening Post with the story The Snails. I promised to do a new scan for the other half of the double page spread. Well, there was no missing illustration on the facing page. That was slightly disappointing. The story was good. Very cinematic.
The other time I read it was in Little Texas, Arkansas, on my Grandparent's farm. I was 14 and trapped for a month without much to do other than comb through the Reader's Digests, Saturday Evening Posts and the Garner Ted Armstrong religious tracts.
I can't apologize enough for mumble stumbling the narration job. But, it was fun. This out loud reading was my second read of the story, 54 years later.
EDIT-Feb 20-2022- I just listened to The Quest for Blank Claveringi , the revised version of the tale that is included in all the anthologies of Highsmith's short stories.
It is different. Especially the events as they transpire in the last minutes of the professor's life. Professor Clavering doesn't die with Dr Stead being an indifferent psychopath witness, talking aloud about what he will name the snail. Clavering dies in the shallow surf, drowning and being eaten alive simultaneously. During that death scene, Dr Stead has been thwarted from any attempt at rescue by his native superstitious crew on a catamaran. No words are spoken between the two. Clavering only recognizes Stead from some distance because of his hat. Another difference in The Snails is the back and forth the two Professors have when the Clavering arrives. We get a few hints Dr Stead may not be right in the head. Also different, Clavering brings his family with him on the trip. They see him off.
So which is better? I'm sentimental. I liked getting the harder to find POST story in my head before I heard the more common "The Quest for Blank Claveringi" story. I think the mad Dr Stead in The Snails adds more Highsmith sadism and macabre flavor.
But The Quest for Blank Claveringi is obviously the superior edit as a focused bit of storytelling.
I recommend the audio book of "11" where the story is narrated.

[@vegankibum5975]

Thank you so much for posting this! I’m currently writing my bachelor on the revised version of this short story, and I had no idea this version still existed!

[@plazpastic]

Yes. Read my "show more" notes about it if you haven't yet. Thanks for dropping a line here. Good luck on your paper.

[@georgekostaras]

Thanks for the audio book

[@plazpastic]

You're welcome. 11 is a great audio book.

[@larryshackley8074]

Thanks for posting the scan of these pages. I read this story at age 11 when it first came out, and it scared me out of my britches. Later I found that she had revised it for a book collection, but I didn't think it was as good as the original.

[@geupelboi]

This short story was horrifying. Not to mention GROSS!!!