"in cold blood"? I recall the scene as being one where Sherburn had been
vilified for the entertainment of the public. Sherburn came out and said
that this offense to his honor and reputation should be borne for an
hour--no longer. He gave the drunk and his audience a chance to come to
their senses and slink away, but they did not. After an hour of this
abuse of his "honor", Sherburn came out, probably VERY hot under the collar,
and put a stop to it. I 'd guess that Twain doesn't care much for the
notion of a defense of "honor" in this fashion, but  a) this duelling
mentality was not entirely gone in Twain's lifetime and b) As bad as
Sherburn
come off in this pathetic spectacle, the mob looks worse. I'm looking
forward to the responses you get, Mrs. Knowles.