Thanks to you all, George, I won't be needing your parsing routines, Al, 
your:

> 2. INPUT doesn't like strings without quotes around them.

is the answer, but Jay, your:

>This is just a guess, but it sounds to me as if it's reading just the 
>strings _between_ quotes. If, as your post suggests, there is only one 
>quote per string, you'll get only half the strings. It may read the first 
>string from quote to quote, including the CR, then look for the next 
>quote (at the beginning of line 3) before starting again.
>
> 0"0
> =J= a  y
>  "
nailed down the exact mechanics of what I was observing. Whew... what a 
relief it is to have such a group of experts so willing to help.

The source of my data is a fairly sizable database in ProDOS on my IIGS - 
formerly created on my //e and I did not want to have to retype it all. 
Now I just have to go back and add that "after" quote in the routine that 
creates the TEXT transfer files for me.

Great group....

        -=  Bob  (-: