Book excerpt: "The Deaves Affair" is a detective novel by Hulbert Footner. On an eventful day, an artist Eric Weir steps out for a walk on the streets of Washington. In the process, he rescues an old man from a tricky situation involving an angry crowd. The man in none other than the wealthy but ill reputed Simeon Deaves. Deaves and his son George hire Eric as a bodyguard for the old man. But now there is a plot to blackmail Deaves and Eric must help unravel the plot before their family's name is tarnished.