Answer:
A He was dying.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the Short Story Titled "Sweat" by American writer Zora Neale Hurston, published in 1926. When she stated the phrase "she knew the cold river was creeping up and up to extinguish that eye" he was revealing that Sykes was dying. He did this by using a cold river to symbolize Death and which would extinguish the eye which was a metaphor for his life.