The Search is a science fiction short story by Canadian-American writer A. E. van Vogt, originally published in Astounding in January 1943.
As she made her way through the cabin to sell them to eager customers, Drake showed her the broken pen and asked if he could buy a new one.
Drake returns to the station where he exited the train two weeks earlier, and learns from some locals that he disappeared after following Selanie to a motorhome.
The following day, an old man appeared in town, and stole all the gear Selanie had sold, leaving behind a dollar bill for each one.
He spends a day exploring what appears to be an enormous empty city before returning to the apartment at night to sleep.
He awakes next to an unknown woman, who reveals herself to be a somewhat older version of the girl from the train, now apparently his wife.
The results are not considered to be a success, and the low quality of these fix-ups has been suggested as one of the reasons for van Vogt's decline in popularity.