When he caught sight of him, he gabbled with delight, and running to him, waddled up and down beside him.

Every little while the pony put his nose down, and seemed to be having a conversation with the goose.

If the farmer whistled for the pony and he started to run to him, the gander, knowing he could not keep up, would seize the pony's tail in his beak, and flapping his wings, would get along as fast as the pony did.

And the pony never kicked him.
The Italian saw that this pony would be a good one to train for the stage, so he offered the farmer a large price for him, and took him away.
"Oh, Joe, I forgot to say, that by this time all the animals had been sent off the stage except the pony and the gander, and they stood looking at the Italian while he talked.

I never saw anything as human in dumb animals as that pony's face.